The Legacy of Uzushiogakure
by Ookami88
Summary: When Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing, he wasn't aware of the mystery that it concealed. A destroyed village and it's prestigious clan will once again mark the pages of history through him. He'll be their legacy. He'll be their hope. Rating may change!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there, Ookami88 here, and this is my another Naruto story!**

**I decided to take brown phantom's Hidden Bloodline Challange and think of an original Kekkei Genkai for Naruto that would not overpower him, but benefit him gradually as he learns to control it. I plan to make many twists in this story, some known from other authors (either very common in use, or with the permission from the original creators), and some original. But mostly I'll stick with what we know from canon as I don't have** **an imagination rich enough to think off a completely new plot.**

**Also I need to rest my mind of the smut I'm currently writing, "Clash of Missions". It's so hard to make new sexual scenes without going overboard and keep up a decent plot... I have to rest and relax with a story that won't need a lemon in every chapter!  
**

**Pairings aren't definite, other than NaruHina (my fav and a requirement for brown phantom's challange rules). And don't expect the two of them being a couple right off the bat! I think that stories making Naruto and Hinata dating in the first three chapter are somewhat unrealistic. It'll start slowly (not as slow as Kishimoto however) but I'll have them paired after the Chuunin Exams at the latest!  
**

**I want to thank Chewie Cookies for being a great help with this story and for being my Beta. You're awesome Chewie!**

**Like I explained to someone in my other story, I'll be translating the unknown Japanese words and names of jutsu on the go. It's easier and faster that way than making an index at the end of each chapter. Hope you don't mind that.**

**Now without any more stalling on to the story!**

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was running through the forest. The young boy had a large scroll tied to his back. Even though the orange jumpsuit he wore stood out like a sore thumb, Naruto wasn't spotted even once during his neck breaking escape from the Hokage Tower. Despite being called idiot and a dead-last in almost everything at the Academy, there was one skill that Naruto brought to the level of art: stealth.

'Hope Jiji won't be too mad at me for taking this scroll. But he sure is an old lecher!' Naruto giggled mischievously as thought of how his original Oiroke no Jutsu brought the great Sandaime Hokage down with a big nosebleed. 'I'll go to this clearing I found a couple of days ago. Nobody should be able to find me before I learn some new jutsu! Then like Mizuki-sensei said, I'll graduate with everyone!'

After strengthening his resolve, Naruto looked forward to take the first step to achieve his dreams. Unbeknownst to him this little, at least in his mind, offense threw the whole village into uproar.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed heavily, hearing all the gathered ninjas' shouts of anger.

"Hokage-sama, we cannot let this slide by as a prank!"

"He crossed the line this time!"

"We must stop him before he harms the village!"

"We never should have trusted him!"

"SILENCE!" Sandaime's booming voice of authority drastically cut off any further comments. "Naruto took the Scroll of Sealing! The seals there are very dangerous and I'm afraid of what could happen if the boy attempts to use any of them." The old Hokage looked at his shinobi with seriousness that was last seen during Kyuubi's attack. "Find Naruto and the Scroll! No harm shall befall him until he's brought before me! NOW GO!" Immediately after receiving their orders, all the gathered ninja vanished to search the boy.

Hiruzen himself was very worried about the hyperactive blond. He thought of the boy like his own grandson, but sometimes he thought that as the Hokage, he could do more for Naruto. Unfortunately, both the Council and never-ending paperwork prevented Sarutobi from doing anything more than what was already done.

'Please Naruto, don't do anything stupid.' Turning back towards his tower, the Third Hokage went to his office, where he activated a very special crystal ball that rested on his desk.

* * *

Umino Iruka lied on his bed in his small apartment. He was thinking about today's graduation test and how Naruto was crushed when his Bunshin no Jutsu didn't work like it should have. The look of utter disappointment on his student's face hunted the young Academy teacher almost as much as the nightmares of his parents' deaths. Even if he was a troublemaker and made the teaching a real hell, Iruka liked Naruto. He saw much of his own past when he looked at Naruto, and that was one of the reasons why Iruka managed to see past the young boy's curse.

Still, the nightmares from the night when his parents died were coming back. It was hard for the young teacher to balance his professionalism with the orphan kinship he felt towards Naruto, and his hate for the Kyuubi.

Words of Sandaime Hokage, after the graduation ceremony, played in his head.

_"Iruka, Naruto is like you. He's ignored by the most of the villagers, starved for attention and jealous towards other children who have parents. Because of his burden, the adults managed to prevent him from making any real friends. That is when Naruto's pranking drive began. He desires any kind of attention, even if it's only negative. It's always better than being thought you don't exist."_

It was true that those pranks brought many troubles upon the blond boy and angered many people, the Hokage Monument being a fine example, but after Iruka heard Sandaime's reasoning for it, it all made sense to him. After all, he was like that himself after the death of his parents.

Sudden knocking brought Iruka out of his musings. He went to open them only to find Mizuki, his co-teacher at the Academy, standing there panting slightly.

"What is it, Mizuki?"

"It's Naruto! He took the Scroll of Sealing!" Mizuki's voice made Iruka very worried.

"What? How could this happen?" Iruka couldn't even dare to think of the consequences of this situation.

"I don't know, but Hokage-sama ordered all the Chuunin to find and bring Naruto back with the Scroll! We must hurry!"

Iruka quickly put on his Chuunin vest and sandals, not even bothering with locking his apartment door. There was no time left. He had to find Naruto before anyone else could!

"Let's go!"

* * *

"Let's see what jutsu are here...eto...Tajuu Kage Bunshin (Multiple Shadow Clones)...Gha! Why does it have to be a Bunshin? That's my worst ability!" Naruto exclaimed as he read the Scroll of Sealing.

Currently, the young blond was sitting under a massive tree. A couple feet from him, there was a small abandoned hut, and farther from there was a stream. All in all, this place was pretty secure for a hideout. Naruto stumbled upon the clearing after one of his pranks went a little out of hand and he was chased by an angry ninja, who earlier was hit by a balloon with pink paint. After that incident the Uzumaki boy always came here after his biggest pranks to wait until everything calms down.

Not paying attention to anything around him, Naruto's clumsiness got him a cut on his forefinger from the edge of the scroll. A small drop of blood fell at something that resembled a whirlpool in shape but also had many strange characters around it. Once the drop touched the black ink a puff of smoke brought the boy's attention.

"What the heck?" A round object fell out of the strange picture. Naruto picked it up to look closer at it. "What do we have here...?"

It was a beautiful dark blue orb. Inside it appeared to have some kind of swirl that the young student thought that looked like a whirlpool of small stars...

Suddenly the orb shined with a bright light and Naruto felt it starting to steadily get warmer and finally it began to burn his hand. The orb suddenly flew out of the boy's hand and hung before his eyes, shining brighter with each passing second.

Naruto was scared; he didn't know what to do! What if this orb is some special security of the Scroll, programmed to kill anyone who stole it? What if it was some kind of treasure of the previous Hokage, too dangerous for other ninja to use? What if it was a souvenir of the Daimyo, bought in some foreign country, worth millions?

His frantic thoughts were interrupted when he felt a pulse emanating from the orb. It glowed again for a few more seconds before hitting Naruto in the center of his chest. The blonde felt warmth spreading through his body at first but soon enough it became an unbearable heat. The Uzumaki boy felt heavy, his head pounded and he felt like his veins were on fire. Naruto never registered that dark marks started to appear on his skin, entwining his torso, arms and legs, before settling down, sinking into his skin, and then fading away.

Groaning from a monstrous headache, Naruto woke up and managed to sit up straight, not even remembering when he fell over. Shaking himself out of whatever happened to him he looked at the Scroll of Sealing that was lying two feet from him.

"What the...?" Trying to ignore both the headache and soreness of his stiff muscles, Naruto grabbed the Scroll to read about Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. He already forgot about the orb and other weird things.

* * *

'Where are you Naruto?' Iruka panicked as he ran through the village, searching for his favorite student to rescue him from the biggest mess that he could ever get himself into.

Following his instinct, the Academy teacher found himself going through the most secluded training grounds. He knew this place, it was one of the most popular hideaways for Naruto when the boy was skipping from school. During one of the blond's pranking escapades, Iruka managed to track the little troublemaker to those training grounds. After that episode, whenever Naruto made another annoying prank on the village, this was always the first place the young chuunin instructor checked when looking for his hyperactive student. Sometimes it worked and Iruka caught the boy there, sometimes Naruto managed to escape, and other times the young blond wasn't even there.

This time however, Iruka had luck on his side.

"Hey, Naruto..." Iruka didn't know whether to be angry or relieved at the sight of the grinning from ear to ear blond boy. Naruto was covered in dirt and had scratches all over his body. It looked like he got into some serious fight, which wouldn't be surprising at all for the academy teacher. Thankfully both the culprit and the stolen Scroll of Sealing were safe, and apparently no other ninja got here before Iruka.

"Man, Iruka-sensei! You found me so quickly that I learned only one technique!" Naruto seemed embarrassed that his teacher could always somehow find get to him. He was scratching his head, a nervous habit he picked up a while back.

'He practiced here...until he was all worn-out?' The words of the young boy shocked Iruka. Then he remembered how Naruto would fall asleep during his lectures, and how he always seemed tired, despite his boundless energy. Maybe he trained more than Iruka had ever given him a credit for? The chuunin was brought out of his musing when Naruto started to speak again, with much more enthusiasm than before.

"Hey, I'll show you a great technique, so let me graduate if I can do it!" With a bright smile and hope in his eyes, Naruto looked at his favorite teacher. "If I show you a jutsu from this scroll, I can graduate, right?"

"Who said that?" Shocked at this revelation, Iruka was wondering who could possibly lie to Naruto like that, and for what purpose?

"Mizuki-sensei. He told me about the scroll and this hidden exam..." The confusion in Naruto's voice was evident to Iruka, but the words his troublesome student spoke right now surprised him greatly.

'Mizuki? Why did he...?' His train of thoughts was interrupted by a sudden whistling sound, which Iruka, as a chuunin, knew all too well. "Naruto! Get down!" Pushing the boy out of harm's way, Iruka felt the pain in his chest as four kunai hit him with a force that threw him into the small hut's wooden wall. Not able to stand straight, the Academy instructor slumped down, quickly losing some blood. Thankfully, his vest stopped most of the impact and the ninja daggers didn't go too deep into his body

"You found him faster than I thought, Iruka," a sneering voice resonated through the clearing. Seconds later, Mizuki appeared on a tree branch above the fallen teacher and petrified blond boy. "You shouldn't bother rescuing him. Naruto! Give me the Scroll, now!"

"Naruto! No matter what, don't hand over the Scroll to Mizuki! Defend it with your life!" Iruka was shouting at his still petrified student. This was very dangerous situation, and who knows what disaster befalls Konoha if Mizuki manages to escape.

"The truth is that Iruka is afraid of you possessing this scroll. Would you like to know why?" The smirk and evil glimmer in Mizuki's eyes made Naruto tremble. "Do you want to know why you're hated by the whole village, including Iruka?"

"What?" Naruto glanced at his wounded teacher with betrayal and hurt in his blue eyes. This look held so many negative emotions that Iruka didn't know how someone has to suffer for his eyes to look like that. However Mizuki's words were more concerning right now.

"Stop it Mizuki! It's forbidden!" Iruka tried to spare his student anymore emotional pain, but it was in vain.

"Twelve years ago there was incident for which a rule was created." The traitorous chuunin wasn't paying any attention to his ex-best friend's shouts. He wanted to see the despair in Naruto's eyes, destroy him mentally, so he could kill him more easily. "It's a rule that only you, Naruto, cannot find out about."

"Only me? What's the rule?" Naruto didn't know if he was more afraid or confused at what he heard. What could this big secret be that only he wasn't allowed to know?

"No one is allowed...to tell you that you are the demon that almost destroyed Konoha! You're the Kyuubi that killed all those people, including Iruka's parents and our Yondaime Hokage!" Sick satisfaction filled the white haired traitor seeing the torment on Naruto's face. Just one more push and the boy will be as easy to kill as a newborn. "No one will ever recognize you! You're a monster that needs to be put down! Now die!" Mizuki threw a giant shuriken at the panicked blond, who tried to run away but tripped.

"Naruto, get down!" Iruka tried to run and shield his student, but all he could do was roll to him and push the blond out of the way, getting stabbed in the back. "Argh!"

"Iruka-sensei!" Something boiled in Naruto, an unknown rage erupted like a volcano inside him, along with a huge amount of chakra that seeped out of him. He turned towards Mizuki, who had a second shuriken in his hands, eyes full of anger. "You bastard! You want this scroll Mizuki-teme? I'll give you a taste of it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone)!"

Despite the pain Iruka looked around, hearing both Naruto's shouts and then some popping sounds. He saw at least dozen copies of his blond student, remembering the name of this particular jutsu. 'Kage Bunshin? A jonin-level jutsu that creates solid copies of the user. It takes great amounts of chakra to create even one clone, and here my worst student can't be counted on both hands. Naruto, you really are an unpredictable ninja.' Iruka smiled a little, but no sooner than several seconds later, his smile turned into frown, as he saw Mizuki cutting through the clones with ease. Finally, the white haired shinobi caught the real Naruto and grabbed his throat, squeezing it tightly.

"You're really stupid! I may be a chuunin, but only because those idiots can't see talent before their noses! I'm practically a jonin in terms of skills and strength!" Hearing the blond choking, Mizuki threw the boy into a tree and pinned him down, almost crushing Naruto's windpipe. "You may be a demon, but in this body you're a worm. I'll enjoy crushing you, Kyuubi!"

"Stop it! Mizuki, let him go!" Iruka pleaded.

"Why should I? He killed your parents Iruka. He killed and destroyed lives of so many people in this accursed village!" Looking back into terrified blue eyes of his victim, Mizuki smiled maniacally, hate and murder painted on his face as he spoke to the suffocating blond. "I'll do this village a favor when I kill this demon spawn!"

Naruto's will to live was weakening with each passing second. His sight was blurred, his chest burned in demand of oxygen, and his mind was already half-asleep from the lack of air. Not only that, but the blond's unyielding spirit was broken from both Mizuki's words, and the fact that it explained everything that went wrong in his life. The villagers had their reason for hating him, and it was because he was a demon that almost destroyed the whole village, who killed all those people that night, and took away the greatest ninja that had ever come from Konoha.

In a final effort to get away, Naruto unexpectedly kicked his captor in the face, for which Mizuki threw him into another tree. The force of impact was so great that Naruto passed out just a second after.

* * *

_Everything was dark. He was surrounded by darkness. It was so cold... So lonely..._

_He couldn't remember who he was! No thoughts could form, there was no smell, so sight...only darkness and voices._

_He heard voices of the past...scornful voices...hateful words...words that hurt his very heart and soul..._

_Then he heard something else, something more recent...Who were those people to him? What did they do for him? Who he was?_

_Everything was so dark..._

_It was so cold..._

* * *

"You fucking brat! I'll kill you for this!" Mizuki was yelling, while trying to stop his nose from bleeding. Apparently, Naruto's kick had enough strength to break his nose. As he descended on the unconscious blond boy, a kunai whizzed past his right ear, almost cutting him. Whipping around, Mizuki saw as Iruka struggled to stand, in his hand another kunai.

"I won't let you touch him, Mizuki!" Iruka hissed through his teeth. It was hard to look tough when your whole body was almost numb from pain, not to mention that the Academy teacher lost a significant amount of blood. But the chuunin wasn't going to look as his former friend commits a murder on his student.

"And just what can you do?" With blinding speed, faster than Iruka could react to, Mizuki appeared before the wounded man, punched him in the gut, and finally the traitor kicked Iruka, making the scarred man fall again and groan in pain. "You're a hypocrite, Iruka. This is the chance you've waited for all those years! You can save the village, avenge your parents and all those people this beast killed; instead you start to defend this brat?" Mizuki stomped on Iruka's wounded shoulder.

"GHAAA!"

"We could be in this together Iruka! Both of use would be claimed heroes of Konoha for finally finishing the Yondaime's work!" With each sentence Mizuki repeatedly stomped on the fallen ninja's wound, bringing him more pain. "And the scroll could make us powerful! Strong enough to rule those worms! All clans and ninja would bow before our might!" Madness burned in Mizuki's eyes, along with the lust for power, and rage that at his former comrade. "But you just had to be so goody-goody! You had to interfere! You're a disgrace to both your village and your race, for protecting that demon brat! The village, no, the entire world would be grateful to us for getting rid of the Kyuubi!"

"Na..." Iruka tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse from screaming, and his whole body hurt. Despite this, he wanted to protect his student and stop this traitor. Even if it meant pain and most probably death, the only chance Iruka had now was to stall Mizuki long enough for ANBU or some other ninja to find them, or at least delay Mizuki's escape. "Naruto...is no demon...He's a prankster and a troublemaker...He's not a genius, but he works hard on anything he wants to achieve...He's Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha! And the only demon here is YOU!"

* * *

_"Iru...ka...-sen...sei...?" The name was familiar, it sounded good from his tired lips. Some images played in his head, memories of the man that would treat him like a human being. However it was still not enough to revive his will._

_He was so sleepy..._

_Something however happened inside him, after hearing this good man call him by his name. A tiny spark ignited a flame that warmed his heart. _

_He didn't want to give up, he didn't want to spend even a second more in this darkness!_

_More sounds came from that place, where the good man fought the bad._

_He was losing._

* * *

Not expecting an attack, Mizuki was very surprised when a kunai was stabbed in his leg, the one that he was stomping on Iruka's wounded shoulder. Another surprise came when Iruka rolled a couple of feet away and wobbly stood up, only to be knocked by a strong punch in the face. Mizuki was ready to end this with his remaining giant shuriken.

"I'll kill you now Iruka, then I'll finish the demon, hide the Scroll, and when everything quiets down I'll take the Scroll!"

"You won't get far, Mizuki..." Leaning on a tree, Iruka struggled with each breath. 'Looks like this is my end...I only hope that Naruto will somehow get out of this unhurt...'

Mizuki prepared his weapon. Iruka closed his eyes and waited for the end.

* * *

_He will die! His friend and teacher, the very first person to ever show him acceptation, will disappear forever if something won't prevent it! There had to be something he could do, despite the darkness and coldness that surrounded him!_

_"**What do you desire?**"_

_This question echoed through the thick darkness. He couldn't find the source; it sounded like the very place was talking to him._

_"**What do you desire?**"_

_Once again this question. Probably he should answer before the voice lose any more patience._

_"Iruka...-sensei... I want... to save him..." He was still weak, talking came with a great difficulty. Getting more courage and will power he tried again. "I want to protect Iruka-sensei! I want to save him!"_

_"**Then, get up!**"_

_A powerful pulse ran through him. It was painful. Very painful. Then he felt a tug on his very being._

_"**Get up!**"_

_Another pulse. Another tug. A white light appeared before him, so hot it burned._

_"**GET UP!**"_

* * *

As Mizuki was about to throw his shuriken, something unexpected happened. A very strong wall of wind hit the small clearing. It was almost like a small typhoon hit there. The howl was almost deafening. In the middle of this chaos stood Naruto, surrounded by a bright orange light. He was turned back to them with his head held low, so neither Iruka nor Mizuki could see Naruto's face.

"What the hell? What is this madness?"

'Naruto?' Iruka was weak from both pain and the loss of blood, it was hard for him to even think about what was currently happening with his student. 'Is this the power of a demon host?'

Finally the wind weakened and stopped. Naruto stood there, still radiating strongly with this strange light. Mizuki first got rid of his shock and without wasting time, he threw his giant weapon at the still motionless Naruto.

"Die Kyuubi!"

"Run Naruto!" Iruka tried to warn his student but it seemed like the blond wasn't reacting to his surroundings. It was a mistake that cost ninja their life more often than anything else.

Imagine the surprise both chuunin felt when they saw as the seemingly unaware boy unexpectedly spun around, grabbed the shuriken just as the weapon was few inches from hitting him, and threw it away with relative ease, cutting through branches of the surrounding trees. Iruka and Mizuki were beyond shocked when they saw Naruto glancing at them.

The boy's face was completely hidden by a white fox mask, similar to those ANBU wore, but with some significant differences. One of them were slits instead of normal round eye holes, the second was three thick dark orange lines on his both cheeks, where Naruto's whisker marks were located. Another was the lack of anything that could resemble a mouth, and the nose could be only located from how the mask was bending over the blond's face.

Naruto's hair seemed longer, spikier and more wild. His trademark jumpsuit was torn. Strips of what remained of it along with his ripped shirt hung haplessly on Naruto's body. The visible muscles seemed more defined, stronger. Both chuunin were feeling a very high pressure that came from the blond. Mizuki felt also as a cold chill ran down his spine when the blond turned his gaze and seemed to focus on him.

Without warning, Naruto leaped forward, straight at the white-haired traitor. His glowing hands were only fuzzy images as the blond showered his former instructor with in a rain of punches, from which many hit their target. Mizuki felt his vest and clothes burn from the contact with Naruto's blazing fists. For all it was worth, the chuunin protected his face from being hit as it could end badly for him. Trying to take the initiative from his opponent, Mizuki started to counter some of the punches and kicks. It was a very tiring activity because Naruto became just so fast!

'Incredible...' Iruka watched as his ex-friend tried to beat his favorite student but couldn't.

After several minutes of fruitless hand-to-hand fighting, Mizuki wanted to just knock Naruto away from himself, grab the Scroll, and escape before other Konoha shinobi or ANBU come after him. Even if he didn't finish Iruka and the Kyuubi brat off now, he'll come back after getting stronger thanks to the powerful jutsu that are written on the Scroll of Sealing. 'And I'll be a hero...'

Any thoughts Mizuki had had been interrupted when Naruto finally found an opening in his stance. The masked blond hit three vital places: his solar plexus, his liver, and at last, his heart. All three punches were soaked in the strange light and left burn marks on the traitor's clothing and skin underneath it. Mizuki could only gasp and spit a large amount of blood, before falling to the ground, feeling only pain, and how his very life was escaping from his battered body. A few minutes later, Mizuki died. Naruto stood above the body of his first kill. The bright aura of light dimmed and vanished, along with the mask.

It was this moment when Iruka found again his voice. "Naruto? Do you hear me?" The wounded chuunin couldn't move too much, but he had to see if his student was alright. When he didn't hear an answer it worried him. "Please Naruto! Speak to me!"

A soft sob could be heard. "I...I killed him...Iruka-sensei...I'm a...true monster..."

Iruka understood what the young boy was going through. Both the revelation of his terrible burden, as well as the fact that he killed for the first time, not even being a lawful ninja, had to shake Naruto's morals and self esteem. Iruka remembered how he was after his first kill; he vomited right at the corpse of the bandit after stabbing a kunai into his heart.

With a great deal of pain and willpower, the scarred chuunin went over to the crying blond and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know how it is. Believe me that the fact you're feeling like you're a monster is perfectly normal."

"Be-Because I'm t-the...K-Kyuubi..." Naruto hiccuped as more tears fell from his whiskered cheeks, and tried to shake his teacher's hand off his shoulder. To his surprise, Iruka only held him tighter, and spoke as softly as possible.

"No, because it shows that you're still human." When the chuunin instructor saw the teary blue eyes look at him with confusion and shock, he knew that he had to explain it. "Everyone in our profession, sooner or later, will kill someone, be it a bandit, an enemy ninja, or even a completely innocent person that came to the wrong place at the wrong time. The first kill is always hard." Despite his pain Iruka knew that he had to get through the boy now or he'll break down because of guilt. "Later, you'll find it's easier to take lives of enemies, but it's only when you stop feeling anything when killing, or worse you start to enjoy it...That's when you're losing your humanity."

"But the Kyuubi..."

"Is sealed inside you... But this doesn't make you a demon." Seeing another confused stare, with a little hope buried deeper in sky blue eyes, Iruka smiled softly. "You remember the lesson we had about sealing weapons inside a scroll? I know that you pay attention to all practical ninja lessons."

"Y-Yeah..." Naruto was still a little confused but something in the back of his mind was signaling him that the answer was very simple.

"Then you know that just because a kunai is sealed inside a scroll, the same scroll doesn't become a weapon..." Iruka looked deep into Naruto's eyes and smiled when he saw the hope rising. "Only it's container. This is what you are Naruto. You protect us everyday from the beast that almost destroyed our village. And you're doing a great job Naruto!"

"Th-Thanks sensei!" Naruto smiled brighter than Iruka could remember seeing him. The fact that this smile looked much more real than the usual goofy grin, made the scarred chuunin's heart fill with warmth. The blond boy regained his normal hyper personality. "Ne ne ne, Iruka-sensei! Can we have some ramen now?"

At his words Iruka laughed a little, before wincing from the pain of his wounds. "Maybe after we return the Scroll to Hokage-sama, and pay a little visit to the Hospital. I'm still badly hurt. After a medic-nin patches me up, and you fetch some clothes, then I'll take you to Ichiraku. And don't worry about the whole incident, I'll vouch for you and explain the whole situation about Mizuki's involvement, alright?"

"Okay." Naruto said happily. "I'll first take Miso Ramen, then maybe pork, and then beef..."

_BA-DUM!_

Naruto's blabbering was interrupted by a strong pulse, which was accompanied by an immense pain in the middle of his chest, so powerful that it made the boy gasp and lose his footing. Kneeling on the ground Naruto held his sides, his face twisted and clearly showing his suffering.

"Naruto! Oi! Are you alright? Speak to me!" Again ignoring his own injuries, Iruka was immediately down next to his student as he tried to find out what was wrong.

"Sen...sei...! It burns...!" After those words the young blond blacked out, hearing only worried shouts of his teacher.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen went through the white corridors of the Konoha Hospital with pace contradicting to his true age. His wrinkled face wore a mask of calm, but behind it the Sandaime Hokage was sick with worry about a certain blond bond boy. Coming to his destination, he hurriedly opened the door of a hospital room. Seeing the occupants the elderly shinobi turned to the head medic, that was currently present.

"How is he, Kobayashi-san?"

Kobayashi Hatsuro, a middle aged man, looked up from his notes and faced the leader of his home village. "It's very hard to say Hokage-sama. It's already twenty three years since I became a medic, seventeen when I became head of this hospital. I was on the front lines during the Third Great Shinobi War, and I saw many strange and horrible things." The medic sighed and rubbed his left temple. "But I've never seen anything that could resemble what happened to young Uzumaki Naruto here."

"What do you mean?" The aged Hokage asked, hoping for a slight clue of what the young boy, that currently was lying motionless under white bed sheets of hospital bed, was going through. The blond youth was also hooked to four separate IV's, several monitors were showing his heartbeat and other important measures, and an oxygen mask was strapped to his face. Sarutobi wanted to know why such steps were taken.

"Currently the patent is in coma of unknown source." Kobayashi started his explanation. "He was like that after being brought here by chuunin Umino Iruka, who by the way was severely wounded and remains in another room." Sarutobi nodded and motioned for Hatsuro to continue. "Physically, Uzumaki-kun's not in a bad shape; he doesn't have any life threatening wounds, just a couple of bruises and scratches. What did surprise me is this..." The medic uncovered Naruto's body and opened the pajama's top half's front.

Sarutobi couldn't believe his own eyes at what he saw before him. It was like a ghost from the past.

In the middle of Naruto's chest was a painting that looked like a tattoo. The shape was of a four-pointed star. From the arm that went down towards the boy's solar plexus Hiruzen saw a number of inscriptions, which he identified as sealing patterns that circled the now visible Yondaime's seal. Also in the middle of the star on Naruto's chest rested a lightly glowing oval jewel of the size of an adult's thumb.

"Like I mentioned earlier, Uzumaki Naruto is currently in coma of unknown source, but the good news is that from my tests he'll be awake in a day or two, of that I'm certain." The medic could see the elder man sigh in relief. "After discovering these unknown seals and jewel I asked Hyuuga Ko-san, who was here for a check up after his recent mission, to scan the chakra network of my patient with his Byakugan. What we found I had never encountered before, even Ko-san was very surprised... Uzumaki Naruto is growing a second chakra network!"

"A second... chakra system...?" Sarutobi repeated, uncertain if he heard right "Kobayashi-san? What does this mean?"

"I'd like to know myself, however, I can't offer any better explanation other than what I've already discovered." When the Hokage nodded, Hatsuro continued. "After running some tests, consulting with other medics and interpreting Ko-san's description of Uzumaki-kun's both chakra systems, I could conclude a few assumptions of how this will influence the patient's life; first of all, his skills of controlling quite vast amounts of his own chakra will be dramatically increased, maybe he'll be even better at it than some chuunin, and if he continues training in this direction then I can be confident in saying that by the time he's eighteen Naruto-kun will have chakra control on a medic-nin's level."

The elder ninja couldn't help but let his widen a bit at this piece of news. 'To have such a control at such a young age, considering the beast that's locked inside him... Naruto will be a force to be reckoned with.' Sarutobi gave his nod to the medic to continue.

"Second is the physical change. Because of the second chakra network going along with the original paths of his natural pathways, his organs, muscles and even his brain are gaining much more energy than they need to survive, even for a ninja. This forced the mentioned organs to adapt, as to not to be overloaded with chakra."

"What will this mean for Naruto-kun?"

"He'll be faster, stronger and most likely smarter than ever before. Not that he'll have the inhuman strength that Tsunade-sama is know from, or be fast like Maito Gai-san when he takes off his weights or opens Hachimon, but I'm certain that he'll be better physically than most of his peers. He'll also be a little taller because his body is adjusting to the changes. Not to mention that because of the speed that the cells are burning all fuel the body has in order to sustain the steady growth we had to keep at least four IV's hooked to him, to keep him hydrated and to not let him malnourish. However..." Here Hatsuro hesitated. The man didn't know how the Sandaime Hokage will react at this information, considering how close the powerful shinobi was to the boy.

"Kobayashi-san... tell me please what you found out... even if it's not good..." With a heavy heart Sarutobi prepared himself for the worst.

"I had no way to check how the new aspects will influence the patient's personality. We can't ask for help a member of Yamanaka clan, for obvious reasons." Here the medic made a quick glance at the Yondaime's seal. "We also have to include both the physical changes as well as the trauma and shock Uzumaki Naruto went through in recent hours. We'll know for sure only when he finally wakes up."

Hiruzen really wished he could light his favorite pipe and take a long smoke to release all the tension, but there was the 'No smoking' rule in the hospital's rooms, and as the Hokage he had to give a good example by obeying such a rules. Nothing however was stopping him from doing this after he left Naruto's room and the hospital building.

Once again he glanced at the star-like tattoo and the shining jewel in the middle of the boy's chest. "Kobayashi-san, you don't know what these markings are, do you?"

"No Hokage-sama." Hatsuro was surprised by the question and it showed in his confused tone. "Only that they are entwined with this orange chakra from this stone."

"These are seals Kobayashi-san. A very old style and method of sealing that I've seen in only one place." Hiruzen brushed some stray locks from Naruto's face. "The Uzushiogakure."

"The.. Uzushio..." The medic was flabbergasted at this piece of information. He knew the history between Konoha and Uzushio, how the two hidden villages were allied during those times of war. How the Uzumaki clan was feared for their longevity and use of Fuinjutsu, their seals had no real competition. Hatsuro also knew about the destruction of Uzushio at the hands of joined forces of Iwa and Kumo, how the whole Uzumaki clan was practically slaughtered, with only few that survived to go into hiding. Realization suddenly hit him when he looked at the still sleeping boy. "Then... this boy is the son of..."

"All that was said in this room is to be treated as an S-rank secret, Kobayashi-san!" Sarutobi commanded in a stern voice. "It's to protect him. Naruto doesn't need more enemies than he already has. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I'll inform all personnel that helped me with Uzumaki-kun's case." To take his mind off the recent rain of information, Hatsoro checked a few readings on the machines that Naruto was hooked to. "Currently, everything seems in order. I think it's best to leave him to recuperate."

"Yes, that will be the best..."

Leaving the room Sarutobi took a long last look at the motionless blond boy that he came to see as his own grandson. So full of energy and life, always causing some kind of trouble. Hiruzen could only presume how all today's events and the new development will affect Naruto. He could only hope that it'll be all for better.

'Naruto, you are now a living legacy of an almost forgotten might... The legacy of Uzushiogakure...'

* * *

**Please R&R so I may know what you truly think of this story and how I may correct it, if needed!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here it is, the second chapter of my Hidden Bloodline Naruto Challenge story for brown phantom's challenge.**

**I'm glad that this new story got so many good reviews! For some reason, I wasn't able to reply to some of them. But I'm still happy that you readers liked how I started this fic. It just gives me confidence in my writing skills.**

**Now, some people suggested that I should make it a harem story. Sorry to disappoint them, but I'm sticking with NaruHina here. I have nothing against harems (especially when Hinata is the main girl/woman there), however, I like it more when Naruto and Hinata aren't interrupted by other people. Besides, I don't see him with a bunch of women wanting to love him. I see Naruto having a small family of three (maybe even four) children, with Hinata by his side.**

**Beside NaruHina and maybe SasuSaku (I'm still conflicted with making them a couple or going with LeeSaku...). I didn't decide on any other pairings. I'm open for suggestions, but remember these two important facts: NaruHina is a permanent here, and Sakura and Naruto won't have any deep, romantic relationship (I have something else planned for her, but for now, hush!).**

**See also the notes at the end, as I'll try to clarify some things about both Naruto and his new abilities without giving too much of information.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and TwiceMarked was kind enough to agree for me to use some of his ideas from "This Time as a Namikaze" for my version of the Uzumaki Clan.**

**Now, on to the story!**

* * *

Naruto was still unconscious after four full days passed since the night Mizuki betrayed and tried to kill both the blond and Iruka. There was a time when Naruto had a very high fever, but thankfully, it passed after a few hours during the first day in hospital. As Kobayashi-san anticipated, there were some physical changes to his patient's body. The most noticeable changes were the more defined muscles of the boy's arms, legs and torso. His chest was now more defined, and you could even find signs of a six pack. Naruto also gained a couple of inches in height, eliminating him from being the shortest in his age group. Not only that, but his face lost most of the baby fat, making him quite appealing, according to some of the younger nurses that had to watch over him.

So far the greatest surprise was Naruto's hair. During the third day of his coma, his unruly spiky hairdo grew into an untamed mane, making him more similar to the Yondaime Hokage than ever. If one took away his trademark whiskers, then anyone would swear that they were looking at a younger version of their greatest Hokage.

Naruto groaned at the brightness of the morning sunlight hitting his face. The blond jinchuuriki wasn't feeling very good. His head ached, his muscles were stiff and his throat was dry. Not to mention he was also very hungry. Slowly opening his blue eyes, Naruto tried to get up, but a strong pain shot through his back, making him fall down.

"You shouldn't be trying to get up yet, Naruto," a kind voice told the blond. Naruto turned his head and saw Iruka sitting on a chair beside his bed. The scarred chuunin looked better than the last time Naruto saw him.

"Iruka-sensei? Are you alright?"

"Much better than I was the night Mizuki tried to kills us." Seeing a slightly confused look on the boy's face, Iruka knew he had to tell him more. "Naruto, you were unconscious for four days." To say that his student looked shocked was an understatement. "You should rest a little more before trying to get up. There is a difference between healthy sleep and a state of unconsciousness, you know."

Naruto chuckled at his sensei. It was true enough, he still didn't feel very good. He was still tired and his muscles ached. When Naruto turned his head on the nightstand beside his bed, he saw two sealed scrolls.

"Iruka-sensei, what's this?" he asked, pointing at the nightstand.

The young instructor followed his student's hand. "These scrolls are from Hokage-sama. He was here yesterday and left them for you to read." Iruka explained. Then he took one of the scrolls and gave it to the boy. "You should start with this one. Hokage-sama told me that he wrote it himself and explained some things there. He also left me with instructions that you are not to reveal what happened that night with Mizuki and the Scroll of Sealing."

The mention of the traitorous chuunin brought Naruto the memory of his first kill. Instantly his mood worsened. "I really did it, didn't I? I... I killed him..."

"Naruto, listen to me!" The seriousness of Iruka's voice made the blond look at his long time teacher. The chuunin looked at the boy more gently. "In this kind of work we always face death, be it our own, our enemy's, or someone completely innocent. As a rookie genin, you shouldn't encounter too many situations where you either kill or see people die. It was unfortunate that you had your first kill even before you actually started your career as a Konoha shinobi."

At those words, Naruto's eyes widened so much that Iruka thought they'd fall out of his head. In those big blue eyes, the Academy teacher saw anxiety, hope, fear, and all other kinds of emotions. "Does...does that mean...Are you saying that I...?" Naruto couldn't finish his question. He was searching Iruka's face for any sign that either confirmed or denied his thoughts.

The older ninja only smiled and took off his own hitai-ate. "Some people would not agree with this, but Hokage-sama and I decided that for stopping Mizuki from stealing one of the most dangerous possessions of this village, as well as mastering a Jonin class technique, you deserve to graduate with your classmates. And I want you to wear this." Iruka handed his hitai-ate to the boy.

Despite weariness and his aching body Naruto threw himself at his sensei, hugging him tightly and sobbing a little. Iruka just held the boy, letting him pour out all the bottled emotions. After years of knowing the boy, the chuunin was aware just how much his student locked inside himself; the hate of the whole village, the burden of hosting a powerful demon, and a lifetime of loneliness. It wasn't fair to him, but that was the life of Uzumaki Naruto. Anyone could be in his place and not take it as well as he did. Iruka knew many other shinobi, veterans of previous wars and battles, that wouldn't survive this kind of life at that age. Naruto's will and resolve were truly strong.

Finally, the blond now-genin calmed down. The bright smile on his face made Iruka's worry melt away. It was rare for him to see his favorite trouble-making student smiling like this. It looked more real than the usual goofy grin.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei? Do you know what this thing is?" Naruto asked, and lifted his shirt enough for the scarred chuunin to see a dark blue jewel attached to the blond's chest, along with a blue star-shaped tattoo around it.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I don't. Maybe in those scrolls from Hokage-sama you'll find an answer," Iruka said and smiled apologetically at the boy's pout. He knew how much Naruto hated reading. "I have to go now. There are some papers in the Academy that I need to check." Cursing quietly under his breath at the undefeated opponent that even all Kage and people of authority together couldn't beat, Iruka clapped Naruto's shoulder lightly. "Once again, congratulations Naruto."

With that, he exited the room, and Naruto felt himself getting sleepy again. 'I'll just...catch some...Z's...'

* * *

It was an early evening, and Kobayashi Hatsuro was currently looking at the results of the tests that were performed on his young patient. They were astounding, from medical point of view. With this development and proper training, young Uzumaki Naruto could grow into a force to be reckoned with, with or without the aid of the Bijuu sealed inside him. With a significant growth of both red and white blood cells, along with increased metabolism and already existing rapid healing, the kid would be practically immune to all but the deadliest of poisons.

Going further into his notes, the middle-aged medic mused over the rapid growth of all the main muscles in his patient's body. Hatsuro could certainly say that Naruto's body was very healthy right now, and he gained quite a figure for a boy his age. Really, who would've thought that a twelve year old would have such a defined six-pack? Of course, this condition wasn't permanent without proper exercise. It was only possible for him to gain these features from the intense stream of chakra coursing through his body, re-building and strengthening everything.

A quiet groan made the older man look up from his notes. His young patient was waking up. Smiling kindly, he looked at the boy who was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Hello Naruto. Did you have a good nap?"

"H-Huh?" Still confused a little, Naruto looked at the man in white robes. "Yeah, it was...nice...Ummm, who are you?"

"Ah yes, we didn't have the pleasure of meeting yet. My name is Kobayashi Hatsuro, and I was the one looking after you till today. Now I know from some of our stuff that you have the reputation of a troublemaker when left in the hospital for too long." Hatsuro gazed at him as the boy looked sheepishly. "I was reading your results and it seems that everything is in order. However, considering that it's evening already we'll keep you for the night, and you'll be released tomorrow." Saying that, the man walked to the door, but he was stopped before exiting.

"Ano, Kobayashi-san?"

"Yes, Naruto? Do you need something?" Hatsuro asked kindly.

"Who brought these? There weren't any flowers when I talked to Iruka-sensei," Naruto said, pointing at the nightstand beside his bed. On it, the medic saw a humble bouquet of flowers with a card attached to it. "And this card isn't signed." The only thing on the card was a very short and neatly written message: _~I hope you'll get better soon Naruto-kun~_.

The medic looked at the nightstand and read the card, only to smile again at his young patient. "It looks like you had a young lady visit you, Naruto. Now that I think about it, one nurse told me that she saw a girl your age exiting from your room at the end of visiting hours. I'm sorry, but she didn't catch her name or remember what she looked like."

"Oh...That's all right," Naruto said, slightly disappointed. It would be nice to know who was kind enough to visit him in the hospital beside Iruka.

"I must leave you now. I have more patients to check on. Tomorrow morning, I'll sign your release papers. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, ojiisan (mister/uncle/old man)." When he was alone, Naruto stared at the bouquet. There were a few daisies, and a gardenia. He could also see some white cherry blossoms, a pink amaryllis and a yellow daffodil in the middle of the whole composition. It smelled wonderful, though Naruto found it strange that there was a very faint smell of lavender.

'I wonder...Who would visit me and give me flowers? Maybe it was Sakura-chan? Nah. When I think about it, she never gave me time of her day. She'd just insult me and beat me up...Besides, she would never call me 'Naruto-kun'. I can't think of any other girl my age that would visit me...' Pondering over this made Naruto more and more confused, so he stopped and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. His eyes caught the scrolls left by his teacher, and he remembered what Iruka told him. He reached for the one with the Hokage's seal on it and started to read it.

_Dear Naruto,_

_If you're reading this, then it must mean you're awake and well. That's very good. I hope you like the surprise from me and Iruka. Congratulation for getting your own hitai-ate. The meeting with you future sensei is two weeks from the day of the official graduation exam. Try not to be late, alright?_

_The whole event with Mizuki is considered as classified. That means you cannot tell anyone how you earned your forehead protector. You may feel awful because of what you did with him, but don't. Both facts that he tricked you into stealing the Scroll of Sealing, as well as breaking my law about your condition, would guarantee him a death sentence for treason. Also, you saved both yours and Iruka's lives. You're not a monster! There are times when we shinobi need to kill on missions and the first kill is always hard for anyone. Even I went through this, a long time ago. You did what you had to to protect yourself and a person dear to you. Remember that whenever you start doubting yourself._

_You may be angry with me for not telling you about the Kyuubi inside you. Things just aren't how they're supposed to be. The Yondaime Hokage wanted you to be seen as a hero for housing the demon and preventing it from destroying the village, but those who were present during the attack didn't see it that way. I wanted for you to have a normal childhood, so I enforced a law that prevented the new generations from knowing the truth about that night._

_Please understand that I did everything in my power to help you. There is just so much I can do for one person. I know that this isn't an excuse for the hardships you had to overcome. I can only ask you to forgive those that wronged you. Your dream is to become the Hokage and our duty is to protect this village and all those who live in it. If you can understand this, then you are well on the way to getting my hat._

_Now, onto a more serious matter. Iruka-kun was to bring two scrolls to you, this one from me, and one other. The second scroll is sealed with a blood seal, so to open it, you need to smear a bit of your blood on the seal. Because of this seal, no one but the writer could read it before..._

This bit of information surprised Naruto. While reading he understood the reasons behind the old Hokage's actions, but why would he send him a scroll that only his blood could open? Not wasting any time, the blond genin continued reading, hoping for some answers.

_...before now. It's because this is the last message of the head of the Uzumaki Clan, and the leader of Uzushiogakure no Sato, and you are the last living heir of this clan..._

"What...?" Naruto gasped out loud. He was from a big shot clan, a last living heir at that? For so many years, the young genin wondered about his parents and family. Could it be that he'd finally get answers for questions that clenched his soul? Immediately, he went back to reading the scroll.

_...Uzushiogakure and the __Land__ of __Whirlpools__ were our very close allies. As a sign of our relationship, all Konoha chuunin and jonin ninja wear the spiral symbol of that village on the back of their vests. This is also the crest of their most powerful clan, the Uzumaki. There wasn't a ninja that could even come close to matching the skills of an Uzumaki in Fuuinjutsu, the sealing arts. Even now, you could find only a handful of seal masters whose seals are even half as good as the weakest and simplest ones made by an Uzumaki. They could find ways that seemed impossible for others, and overcome all hardships by perfecting their art. Not only that, but some members of that clan had very unique skills with their chakra that no normal ninja could ever dream to learn or copy. It didn't hurt that all of the Uzumaki clan possessed incredible longevity and vitality._

_Alas, that great power brought Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan many enemies. Their skills were known worldwide, and they were feared because of their power and fierceness. During the Third Shinobi War, the __Land__ of __Whirlpools__ was attacked by massive joint force of other Hidden Villages, with the exception of Konoha and Suna, and completely destroyed. The Uzumaki clan was practically wiped out, with the handful of survivors scattering across the map. One of them was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina._

_She was a very energetic young lady when she first came to Konoha. It was several years before the destruction of her village. I must say that you got most of your character from her, Naruto-kun. If you want to know more about her, then you can come to me at any time, and I'll tell some stories about her life...Ahhh, she was a beacon of hope, just as you are today._

_I'm sorry to say that she's not among the living anymore. Both your parents died the day you were born, that much I can say for sure. You're still not ready to face your father's enemies, so it's too dangerous for you to know who he was. When the time is right, I'll reveal all the secrets, not hiding anything from you anymore. It will be a huge relief for me to let that all out..._

_Now, let's go back to the second scroll you received from Iruka-kun. Like I said earlier, only you can open it. Both the scroll, as well as the jewel that currently resides in your chest, were the treasures that the leader of both the Uzumaki clan and Uzushio, Uzumaki Isamu, gave me personally, to keep them safe from the enemy. He left me specific instructions of what to do if the jewel was to ever react with the Uzumaki bloodline. It was surprising to hear this mysterious request, but I agreed. That was the last time I saw Isamu-dono alive._

_Kushina was my first choice, seeing as she was the only Uzumaki living in Konoha at the time, however the jewel didn't react, and she laughed at me. Later, she explained that this jewel has a special ability of bringing out the 'Inner Strength' of the Uzumaki people. It reacts like that only once for one person and not for everyone. No one knew why, but at least she told me why it didn't react to her. When she was three, she went into the sacred chamber inside the clan's compound, and wanted to play with, as she recalled, 'the pretty shiny stone'. That was when it reacted to her and awakened her special ability._

_Because this jewel reacted to you and practically merged with your own body, I can only guess that you're the only one worthy of Uzumaki Isamu's last message. From the words of Kobayashi Hatsuro-san, the medic that looked after you, one of your new abilities is body enhancement, and the other is an extra chakra network. However, Kushina confessed that even her clan didn't know full capabilities of this artifact, despite the fact that they had it for more than three hundred years. Now only you can discover its secrets and make this power yours._

_I believe in you, Naruto-kun. I believe that you have what is needed to revive the power of the Uzumaki clan and the might of Uzushiogakure. You have the Will of Fire that my own sensei had, and that is the strength of Konoha shinobi. Never forget your roots, but also know that Konoha will always be your home, and your duty now is to protect it. As the future Hokage, know that there is no more important duty for any Kage than to lay down your own life to ensure the survival of your village and its people._

_Remember also that I'm proud of you, and that your parents would be too._

_Sincerely,_

_Sarutobi Hiruzen_

_Konoha's Sandaime Hokage_

_P.S. Due to the fact that you had such a big growth spurt, I provided you with some new clothes, taking into consideration your new size, and what I deemed is proper clothing for a ninja on duty. Don't worry, they include orange in some places, but not so much as your old jumpsuit. I locked them inside the seal that you can find at the end of this letter. Just bite your thumb and smear some blood on it. I hope you'll like them. Take care._

Naruto smiled upon reading the last parts of the letter. 'Jiji, thank you.' Looking at the end of the scroll, the boy saw a standard storage seal, but decided to wait to open it. In the end, he had to spend another night in the hospital, so there was no point in taking out his new clothes.

Then Naruto remembered about the second scroll that Iruka-sensei left him, the scroll from Uzumaki Isamu. The blond was reluctant to open it. He had no idea what to expect. However, this was a message from his ancestors, about his clan, his family! There was no way he'd chicken out now! With refueled determination, he bit his thumb and smeared the blood across the seal, putting some chakra into it subconsciously. There was a puff of white smoke, and the scroll opened before him.

_To the last holder of the Uzumaki clan's bloodline, deemed worthy of our greatest treasure._

_I don't have much time. The enemy is coming closer to our borders, and soon, they'll swarm the streets of our village. Iwagakure of Earth Country and Kumogakure of Lighting Country, two of the Five Great Hidden Villages, along with forces of several minor countries, have allied themselves against Whirlpool Country and our clan. I have no hope of surviving this conflict. These are my last words as Uzumaki Isamu, Sandaime Uzukage of Uzushiogakure no Sato, and the thirteenth leader of the Uzumaki clan._

_The evacuation is still progressing, so we Uzumaki will buy time for our people to safely escape. My only concern is that this will be the last stand for my clan. Konohagakure, our closest ally, is still weakened because of the last Great Shinobi War, and there is no way they can make it in time to aid us. We're not afraid of death. Though all members of our clan can live much longer than other people, we came to understand that the death is only another journey. We accept our fate._

_My time runs short. There is just so much I want to relay, our clan's history, techniques, sealing arts but because of the circumstances, it is not possible, and I'm afraid that the leaders of this invasion will succeed in their mission to eradicate any traces of our clan. There is a solution, however. The Tenrai Shingyoku (Jewel of the Heavenly Spirit)._

_This jewel has been passed down in our clan for over three hundred years. Through those centuries, we discovered many of its secrets but there is so much more to find. Hard to believe that much power could be locked inside such a small container. It's thanks to this artifact that our clan and the village were able to prosper to this level._

_The Tenrai Shingyoku radiates with a very powerful, unique chakra that affects some members of our clan. Those that the jewel reacted with gained abilities and chakra never seen before or after. Every person had their own skill. Whether the skill is based off of their personality or another factor remains unknown to us. The only similarity was that all those who were affected stated that most of their skills were tied to their feelings. Depending on what the user felt at the time, their ability would either become stronger or change its form. Meditation helped many of them to master those unique skills. Sometimes you needed to make an 'intent' out of what you wanted to do, like with killing intent._

_My time is almost up. I can hear the walls already cracking and breaking. The screams of murdered men, women and children..._

_I can only hope that my daughters, Kushina and Sayuri, will have a good life, and that they will be able to eventually forgive this old fool for sending them away._

_Heed my words, you who are the last of our bloodline. The Uzumaki Clan is extinct. Uzushiogakure is burned to the ground. You have no duty to fulfill for our dead. Your only obligation is to protect the Tenrai Shingyoku. Its power cannot befall to anyone who would use it for selfish purposes!_

_Protect those who cannot protect themselves! Never falter before hardships!_

_We are the Uzumaki! Our will is never broken! Our true strength comes from our hearts!_

_Our own hatred is our greatest enemy._

Naruto rolled up the scroll. He looked down on the shining jewel in the middle of his chest, tracing his fingers over the hard surface.

'It feels warm...' The young genin mused over everything he had discovered today. All of this was so confusing. First he was betrayed by one of his teachers, then another one accepted him. He got to know his mother's name and some things about her, something that he wanted even more than becoming Hokage. He found out that he was the last of his clan, which apparently was powerful enough to get many strong enemies, who killed them almost to the last man, woman, and child. There was also the revelation of this jewel-thing, the Tenrai Shingyoku, and how powerful it was.

Coming to the conclusion that there isn't much he could do about this, Naruto slowly accepted his new position as both the Kyuubi container and the last holder of the Uzumaki Clan's blood, as well as the new protector of the greatest treasure of Uzushiogakure. On the bright side, he achieved the rank of genin, and he knew something about his mother and his family. Not everything that recently happened was bad.

Everything has a bright side. You just have to be able to look hard enough to find it.

* * *

It was finally the day to assemble teams from students that graduated the week before. Anxious genins walked inside the classroom, their headbands tied and displayed in various places on their bodies. Most were wearing them in the traditional way on their foreheads, others chose to tie theirs on either of their arms, and some used them as belts. A young kunoichi had her hitai-ate tied in a more unique way, around her neck. She was the only one that wore her headband in such fashion among her classmates.

Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress of the powerful and noble Hyuuga clan, was sitting silently in the very last row of the big classroom, silently trying to remain unseen by her peers. Some could call her a coward, or unfit to be a ninja, and to her greatest shame, she would agree with them. The young girl was very shy and timid, which was one of the main reasons as to why her own family and clan looked down upon her, the other was that she was unable to beat her younger by five years sister in their family's taijutsu style, the Juuken (Gentle Fist).

Hinata's lack of confidence also affected her clothing. Because her body started developing much earlier than other girls her age, she was embarrassed to show how mature her figure was, and didn't want boys to stare at her, Hinata always wore a cream-colored oversized jacket that managed to hide her secret for the last two years. This was another sign of how much inner strength she lacked.

However, Hinata was able to find that tiny bit of courage inside herself that helped her finish the Academy, and endure countless hours of solo training. This was sparked by a young boy that she used to...'observe' for some time, who seemed to have an even worse life than her. While she was criticized and ridiculed by her family, he received harsh treatment from practically the whole village. It didn't help that he played pranks on them, making some people even angrier at him, not to mention that this boy wasn't very good with the subjects taught in the Academy, always screwing up exercises or failing tests.

There was one thing that made Hinata start her 'observation' of this boy. One time, she saw him practicing the standard Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique) and failing miserly in summoning even one good clone. That, however, didn't stop him from trying again, and again, and many more times. Even though he still failed at it, the blue-haired Hyuuga girl saw that no matter how many times he failed, it never seemed to discourage him. He never gave up. Not many could show such determination. Most would just go the easy way and resign from any more attempts. But not him. Not Uzumaki Naruto.

Before Hinata knew it, she developed a huge crush on the blond pariah. Even if she wasn't able to tell him that, she couldn't deny that a mere thought about Naruto made her cheeks blush deeply.

Hinata was currently very worried about her crush, though. She knew that he failed the graduation exam and didn't get his headband. Then there was also the whole incident with Mizuki-sensei and the Scroll of Sealing that took place the same night as the graduation. Also, there was the fact that no one saw him the day after that, or for the rest of last week. Some said that Naruto had an accident, others swore that they saw him leaving the village, and another person said that he probably died altogether, that he probably hung himself from some branch. Even now, the students were gossiping about the missing blond, much to Hinata's displeasure and discomfort.

The whole classroom fell silent when another person came in. All present were surprised that it was Naruto.

No one could recognize the blond at first. Gone was the blinding orange and blue jumpsuit, replaced by a sleeveless black vest with dark orange trims, black pants with two orange stripes on the sides, his kunai holder tied to the boy's right leg and his ninja pouch attached to his left hip. Underneath the vest, Naruto wore a short-sleeved, body-fitting fishnet shirt with sleeves that ended at his elbows. The whole outfit was completed with a dark green haori, decorated with red trims, that would have looked like a coat if it hadn't ended just a few inches below Naruto's tailbone. In the middle of his back was the traditional red spiral symbol of his clan. His Konoha hitai-ate was proudly displayed on his forehead.

Not only did Naruto's attire bring curious glances to him, his overall appearance confused everyone in the classroom as well. Everyone noticed that the blond was taller by a few inches from the last time they saw him, and his spiky hair was thicker and longer than before. The only thing preventing the golden locks from falling onto his blue eyes was his headband. What brought the attention, and many blushes, of the kunoichi in the room was Naruto's noticeable muscular form, which was more defined than any other boy his age could claim theirs to be. Hinata felt very hot and light-headed, almost on the verge of fainting.

Naruto ignored all the stares and calmly walked to the first free seat he saw, which, coincidentally, happened to be beside the prodigy of this year's graduates, Uchiha Sasuke. Thankfully, there was another free seat between them, so neither of the two boys had to be too close to the other. While Naruto was irritated at Sasuke's attitude and the superiority the raven-haired genius showed during all the practices, the last Uchiha considered the blond an annoying failure that should stay clear from his path. Both silently glared at each other, the tension between the two preteens being so thick that you could almost see sparks.

"Naruto? What happened to you and why're you here? This is the class only for those that graduated," Nara Shikamaru questioned, breaking the blond from his stare contest with Sasuke.

"Are you blind, Shikamaru? I have a headband too! Iruka-sensei and Hokage-jiji gave me another chance, and I graduated like everyone else!" Naruto happily explained.

'Naruto-kun graduated! He really passed!' Hinata was ecstatic at what her crush had said right now. 'Maybe we'll...be on the same...team. Oh Kami, that would be so wonderful and terrifying at the same time!' The thought of being with Naruto in one genin cell brought a bright blush to Hinata's normally pale cheeks and made her heart thump almost painfully inside her chest.

"Hn, you're such a dobe," Sasuke commented, which didn't go unnoticed.

"What did you say, teme? I could beat you all the way to the Hokage Monument and back with both my arms tied behind my back!" The blond boasted, returned to glaring at the raven-haired youth.

"Keep dreaming, dobe. Just don't get in my way," Sasuke countered, returning the glare.

Just then, there was a crashing sound at the door before two young kunoichi came crashing in. One was blonde, wearing purple clothing that could be referred as 'not appropriate' for a thirteen-year-old. It was also visible that her stomach and thighs were wrapped in medical bandages and her headband was tied around her waist. Her name was Yamanaka Ino.

The other girl had bright pink hair, and quite a noticeable forehead. She was wearing a red battle dress and dark shorts underneath that ended above her knees. As for her hitai-ate, it was tied in a way to keep her long hair in place. She was Haruno Sakura.

"FIRST!" they both shouted only to glare heatedly at each other a second after.

"I was a whole foot ahead of you, Forehead Girl!"

"As if, Ino-pig! I was first to step into the classroom! I will sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

Everyone looked at the scene in amusement and annoyance. These two were known for two things: being the biggest fangirls of Uchiha Sasuke, and their heated rivalry for said Uchiha. Very often, people could see both girls arguing over something, usually concerning Sasuke, or they were pestering their crush for dates, along with a crowd of his other fangirls. It was very tiring for everyone around, not to mention how annoying it was to the last Uchiha.

'Sakura-chan? Was she always so loud and screechy?' Naruto mused. Over the last week, he thought about many things, one of them was his infatuation with the pink-haired girl. When they all were younger, he found her cute, and noticed how popular she was. The blond desired this kind of attention, and it wouldn't hurt if he found someone who would listen to him. However, that plan backfired very quickly when it came clear that Sakura was already infatuated with Sasuke. Every time Naruto tried to ask her to hang out with him, she would either insult him, hit him very hard, or all the above. He could tell that she didn't want to be his girlfriend, but it hurt that he wouldn't even have a friend in her. But to a fault, Naruto was very stubborn, and kept going after the girl. At least she didn't ignore him like most liked to.

"Hey Sakura-chan! I saved you a seat-" Naruto tried to say as he got up to make way for the girl, but all he got was a very rude response.

"Out of my way, baka!" Sakura tried to push the blond out of her way, but something very surprising happened. Naruto evaded.

There was more to this situation. In his mind, Naruto saw the assault in what he thought was slow motion. He easily saw through Sakura's movements, her fist sailing beside his face as he dodged it. On sheer instinct, Naruto grabbed the girl's arm and threw her over his shoulder with ease, sending the surprised kunoichi straight at the brooding Uchiha. Not expecting such an attack, Sasuke didn't have any chance to avoid the collision, much less Sakura, who was too shocked to even think clearly. When the impact finally came, several other things happened that made the whole room speechless.

Both genin were laying on the floor, with Sakura on top of Sasuke's chest. However, it were their faces that brought most of the attention of people inside the classroom, as Sakura's lips were joined with Sasuke's in an unintentional kiss. This fact brought many cries and shouts of anger from other present Uchiha-fangirls, who all wanted to steal the first kiss of their crush. All of them turned towards Naruto, the blond boy could feel the killing intent and see murderous glints in their eyes.

As for Sasuke and Sakura, the pink-haired girl quickly bolted from the boy, blushing furiously and uncharacteristically speechless. She was too shocked by everything to notice that Sasuke was also slightly flushed from the event. This was his first kiss with a girl, after all. This whole time, he was so focusing on revenge that he never truly looked at girls. Sure, he wanted to revive the Uchiha clan, and he knew that he needed to find a woman to do so, but killing his traitorous brother comes first on his list. Besides, he couldn't let just anyone to help him rebuilding his clan. It had to be a strong female, a kunoichi for sure. However, despite all those thoughts, he had to admit that this sensation of Sakura's soft lips on his felt...nice. Despite that, that blond dobe wouldn't go unpunished for this stunt!

Naruto scowled at the scene. 'I don't believe it! Now I don't have any chances with her! Not that there was any to begin with...' He noticed how Sakura was blushing from the experience, but then the blond discovered, to his surprise, that Sasuke's cheeks were also dusted in pale pink, even if it was barely noticeable. That gave him an idea. "Well look here. The great Uchiha actually likes girls after all! And here I thought that I'd have to watch my backside when he's behind me!" Everyone laughed at the jab on the last Uchiha's sexual orientation. Well, almost everyone, as both Sasuke and his fangirls didn't find it funny.

"NARUTO!"

"DOBE!"

Before anyone could say or do anything, Iruka came inside and all commotion stopped for a moment.

"Alright everyone, please quiet down and take your seats." This fell on deaf ears, as no one made a move to do as commanded. Iruka felt his anger rise at the lack of obedience, so, without seals, he activated his infamous Demon Head Technique. "SHUT UP ALREADY AND SIT DOWN!" All students did as they were told, though Naruto opted in taking a seat in a row further back than before because of his last joke. The blond boy could feel Sasuke's glare, and was glad that looks didn't kill, or there would be another funeral in the village. Fate decided that he would sit beside the shy Hyuuga girl, who gained a massive rush of blood towards her head and felt very light-headed, due to the fact that her crush sat with her.

'Works like a charm.' Iruka mentally patted himself on the back for the good work. "Starting today, you are all officially ninjas, but you're still new genin. It's going to get harder from here." The scarred chuunin went into the 'lecture mode', as some of his students called it, trying to explain the situation to all that were gathered. "You all will be in groups of three, where you will accomplish missions under a jonin sensei." Iruka could see several kids' shocked faces at this statement. 'I wonder what they're thinking right now?'

'Three people per squad? And a jonin sensei? Man, this is getting troublesome,' Shikamaru thought.

'Teams of three? I hope that I'll be with Sasuke-kun!' Many girls were staring at their dream-boy in hopes that this will somehow bring them closer in getting that wish.

'A group of three? That's only going to burden me.' The young avenger took a slight glance at the girl sitting just one seat from him. He quickly averted his eyes from her with a small blush dusting his cheeks. 'Why the hell do I feel like this? It was just a stupid kiss! Accidental at that! It held no meaning!' Despite all his denying, Sasuke still couldn't get rid of those confusing feelings that stirred inside him.

'Naruto-kun...I-I hope...that w-we will be...t-together...on a team, I mean...' Hinata was stumbling with her thoughts, stealing glances at the unaware blond...or so she believed.

'Why's she staring at me like that?' Naruto was puzzled with the actions of the shy girl beside him. He barely knew Hinata, as she always seemed to stay away from crowds. Sometimes the blond caught her looking at him when he trained alone in the woods, but he never made any sign that he actually noticed her, and continued with his training like there was no one there besides himself. Strangely enough, Naruto's nose caught a unique scent that seemed to come off Hinata, the scents of multiple flowers, along with one stronger than others, and it was...lavender? That made him pause for a moment. 'Was she the one that left those flowers when I was lying in hospital?' His thoughts were interrupted by Iruka, who continued his lecture.

"Now I'll read your names and what team you're assigned to. Let's start with Team One..." Naruto lost interest in listening to who got put on what team. His mind was on the discovery that there was at least one other person besides Iruka and old man Hokage who cared just a little about him. The blond genin didn't know why this girl showed enough interest in him to actually come to the hospital with flowers for him. He wasn't sure, but he assumed it was Hinata because of the faint scent, but he wasn't an Inuzuka like Kiba, however...Naruto was almost sure that he was right in his guess. His musings were interrupted when Iruka read another group. "Team Seven will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"What? Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same team as that brooding bastard? Not to mention that I'll be afraid for my innocence when he's around." The last comment earned Naruto a round of laughter from the classroom. Even Hinata giggled quietly at his jab, but he also got a very cold glare form the Uchiha and his fangirls. Surprisingly Sakura's look was the most threatening, and what was that demonic aura around her? He tried to suppress the shiver of fear running down his spine.

Iruka sighed. That boy would never grow up from being a prankster. "Naruto, Sasuke graduated with the highest scores," the chuunin instructor explained. "You, on the other hand, had the worst! You're put with him because we want to keep balance between overall skills of each team."

'This is not good! I didn't think they will put me with teme! Now I'm going to get it for my earlier jokes!' Naruto thought desperately as he sat down again. Taking a look at his new teammates, he could see both of them glaring at him even more intensely than before, and he gulped. 'Yep, I'm dead.'

Hinata, on the other hand, was disappointed that she couldn't be on the same team as Naruto. Then she heard Iruka calling more names.

"Next is Team Eight. Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. Team Nine..." Another three names were read. "Now Team Ten is Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji."

Ino felt like she got hit with a ton of bricks. 'I have a lazy sloth and a fat-ass as my teammates, and Forehead not only kisses Sasuke-kun first, but she's on his team as well? That's so not fair!'

"I'm going to introduce you to your new sensei this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed!"

* * *

Hinata slowly walked around the grounds of Academy, finding relaxation in doing so. She had already eaten lunch with her new teammates, and wanted to spend the remaining time before the meeting with her new sensei alone. Admiring the nature around her and observing some children playing ninja tag, the young Hyuuga thought about the boy she liked. Instantly, her cheeks got rosy, when those simple thoughts suddenly focused on Naruto's new appearance. She always thought that he was cute with those whisker marks and hyper personality, but now? He was so handsome! And his body...

Shaking her head rapidly, Hinata tried to get rid of those kinds of thoughts. After reaching the age of twelve, the shy girl had to deal with raging hormones, and sometimes, to her utter shame and embarrassment, she had wet dreams about her blond crush and herself in some very...intimate situations...always waking up with a wet spot on her sheets and pajama bottoms. It was only pure luck that no one from her family knew about this. She would probably die from embarrassment, especially if Naruto somehow found out.

As Hinata was passing a park that was located not too far from the Academy, she caught a sight of a dark green, red trimmed haori with a red spiral symbol on the back. 'Could it be...?'

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Whoa!" The blond boy actually _jumped_ upon hearing a voice behind him and quickly spun around to see who it was. To his great relief, it was only Hinata. "Don't do that, Hinata! I almost got a heart attack."

"G-Gomennasai! I-I-I didn't mean to...!" Hinata tried to excuse herself, but she noticed how Naruto suddenly jerked up.

"Kuso!" The blond quickly grabbed the shy girl's hand and pulled her under the nearby thick bushes with him, while holding his hand over her mouth. "Please, don't say a word until I tell!" he whispered, ignoring the Hyuuga's crimson face, pinning them down on the grass. Hinata was practically one hair from fainting because of the position, and the fact that she was under the bushes with her crush, that he insisted on her being quiet and was touching her, and because they could be caught doing...what exactly? Because of the mix of fear and excitement the shy kunoichi was able to remain conscious, however she was not sure for how long she'd be able to keep this up.

Then Hinata heard some people coming closer to their position.

"When I get my hands on Naruto, he'll be sorry he was ever born! The nerve of him! To make Sakura steal Sasuke-kun's first kiss, joke about his preferences, and getting to his team along with Forehead, while I'm stuck with you two!" a high-pitched female's voice complained.

"Would you stop lamenting already? It's already been decided what teams we're on, and there's no way for you to change that. Man, women are so troublesome." Her companion had a very monotonous tone, from which you could guess that he probably complained about everything.

"I'm hungry," the third person's words were, from time to time, interrupted by crunching noises.

Thankfully for the hiding pair, the new members of Team Ten went their own way, not paying too much attention to their surroundings. Naruto exhaled loudly when the sounds of footsteps faded away. "That was too close." Only then did the blond notice that he still had Hinata pinned down and was holding his hand over her mouth. "Oh, sorry about that Hinata! Here, let me help you!"

Naruto held out his hand and helped the girl up to her feet, noticing now how she was still blushing deeply. Also, while they were laying in those bushes close each other, the blond couldn't help but notice her scent, which was lavender, the same he smelled in the bouquet he got in the hospital.

"T-Thank you, N-Naruto-k-kun. I-I'm sorry..." Hinata tried to explain herself but was interrupted by he crush's loud laugh.

"What are you talking about Hinata! You have nothing to apologize for. If anyone has to say sorry, then it's me, for grabbing you like that and all!" Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. He didn't want Hinata thinking that he was some kind of pervert here! "Ne, I have a question to you!"

"Hai, Naruto-kun?" This time she didn't stutter because of curiosity toward what the blond wanted to ask her.

"Were you the one that visited me in the hospital last week and left me those flowers?" Naruto asked bluntly. At this point Hinata was again on the verge of passing out.

"A-Ano...I-I..." While trying to form an answer, inside the shy girl was panicking. 'Oh, Kami-sama! He knows! But how? I moved so no one would see me, I'm sure of it! And he was asleep! How did he find out? Did he dislike my flowers? Will he find me creepy and want me to stay away from him?' Dropping her head in sadness at those conclusions, Hinata decided to be truthful. "Hai, I-I-I was there..."

"I knew it!" Naruto's loud exclamation startled the girl a little. "I had a hunch, but now I know for sure. Thank you, Hinata! You're really nice!" He grinned widely.

"N-No, it-it was n-nothing...I-I'm just glad that you're alright." Hinata said honestly and smiled softly. She was truly relieved when Naruto showed up in the classroom, no longer hurt and obviously with his hitai-ate, which meant that he graduated. Even if they were on different teams, Hinata was still happy that Naruto became a ninja. Then, something occurred to the lavender eyed girl and she couldn't help but feel her curiosity put the question in her mouth. "W-Why were you h-hiding t-there Naruto-kun?"

The innocent way she asked him this question, along with that smile, made Naruto look at Hinata in a slightly different light.

'Never thought that she could look so...cute? Where that came from?' Noticing that the girl was watching him and waiting for an answer he quickly stopped daydreaming. "After what I did to Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme, all the girls wanted to beat me up! You heard what Ino said when they passed us, right? Now, multiply that by the rest of teme's fangirls and you get my reason." Naruto heard a soft giggle, and saw that the shy girl was clearly amused by something. "What's so funny?"

"I-I j-just can't h-help myself..." Hinata tried to say, all the while her shoulders shook from her quiet laughter. "Whe-Whenever I remember y-your jokes a-about Sasuke-kun...I-I-I c-can't hold in m-my laughter..." After a few minutes, the young Hyuuga managed to calm down. "But..." She couldn't finish her thought.

"Hm? What is it Hinata?"

"Will you be okay? I-I mean, you're on their team now..."

"Nah! They won't do much. Sakura-chan may throw a fit and Sasuke-teme could try, but I'm too good to give in!" Naruto boasted. "You know, you really are very nice Hinata. I could never talk with a girl before without getting pummeled into the ground!" At his praise, the shy girl found her sandals very interesting, and blushed heavily.

"I-It's n-nothing! Really!"

"What are you talking about? You're probably the nicest person I know! I'd like to repay you for the flowers in some way! Let's see..." Naruto started to think deeply, until he got an idea. "Hey, how about I treat you to some Ichiraku Ramen after we meet our sensei today? Are you free after six this afternoon?"

That was the finishing blow, as a second after this question, Hinata fainted.

* * *

**EDIT: I re-posted this chapter correcting some mistakes that I didn't notice before. Also there was an issue with my Beta, Chewie Cookies, who was unfortunate to be sick for the most time, and I uploaded this chapter in a raw state because of it. Now he's better and sent me the edited version, so I'm presenting it to you! Please, take it easy on me for cloths and other descriptions because I really lack in that department in my English.  
**

**Another chapter finished, and like I said at the beginning, I'll clarify some things:**

**1) I'm still undecided with either SasuSaku or LeeSaku. This little scene between Sasuke and Sakura was for comedian gag purposes.**

**2) Naruto's bloodline is still unknown. I'll reveal more during the bell test.**

**3) You may think that Naruto and Hinata are being a little OOC, with him getting over Sakura so quickly, and her not fainting until the end. Well, deal with it! Remember that Naruto matures earlier here (I'm not able to keep him on Kishimoto-idiotic level) because of the artifact and the physical changes he went through, while I find that Hinata was only so very nervous around Naruto because he couldn't calm down and he always surprised her with one stunt or another. Conclusion: calmer Naruto equals less (but still) shy Hinata (at least to a level where she won't faint so much around him).**

**Please review! I'd like to know your thoughts about my story, because it gives me a chance to make it better. I'm happy that so many readers added this story to their Alerts, but that still doesn't compensate for a good review. Help me improve my writing!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**First off, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in my stories. My reasons for that are in AN at the end of the chapter.**

**Second, I'm working on my other stories, but lately I have a hard time writing. Not really a block but I struggle with finding time for it. Also explained at the end of this chapter.**

**I'd like to thank my Beta for his quick and good work on this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

When Naruto finally managed to wake the fallen heiress up, both new genins went back to the class to wait for their senseis. They also agreed to meet up at Ichiraku's to hang out a little. Hinata had to warn the blond, though, that she had a strict curfew and had to be home at eight the latest. It didn't give them too much time, but it was enough for Naruto. He wanted to show his new friend that he appreciates that she visited him in the hospital, and maybe even get to know her a little more. Up until now, the young Uzumaki never really noticed the shy blunette, however now, after talking to her a little, he finds that this Hyuuga is quite an interesting person and pleasant companion. He wanted to know more about her.

Slowly, the classroom emptied. A jonin came and took their teams while leaving the rest. Finally there was no one, except...

"Where the hell is our sensei?!" Naruto complained loudly. Team Seven was the only one left, as the last group had been gotten two hours earlier. "Even Iruka-sensei went home already!"

"Be quiet, Naruto! You're driving me crazy!" Sakura was restraining herself from strangling her loudmouth teammate. She, too, was annoyed at the person who's supposed to be their sensei. 'Who the hell do they think they are? They're already three hours late!'

"There will be hell to pay 'ttebayo!" With those words, Naruto went to the blackboard and took an eraser. His teammates, meanwhile, were wondering what the blond boy had thought out. They were truly disappointed when Naruto put the eraser in the door, so whoever came through would be hit in the head with it. "Now they'll see why you don't annoy a prankster king!"

"Do you really think such a childish prank will work on a seasoned ninja, dobe? You're really an idiot." Sasuke said in an uninterested voice.

"Exactly Naruto! Stop being such a baka!" Sakura chastised the boy, but inwardly she was hoping to see the prank succeed. 'This may be interesting!'

"Oh, shut it you two! You're just still grumpy about what happened earlier today!" At those words, both the avenger and the pink-haired girl got quiet. All of a sudden, Naruto saw his teammates glaring at him menacingly. He gulped, sensing a killer intent directed at him. 'Maybe I should be the one to shut up... I may live longer that way.' Naruto thought to himself.

Suddenly, all three genin heard footsteps, making them focus on the door. They all waited impatiently for when their vict-... sensei would arrive. Naruto had a wide grin on his face, Sakura couldn't help herself and bit her thumbnails in anticipation, while Sasuke tried to look indifferent, but kept an eye on the door, not wanting to miss anything.

Finally, the door opened, and the eraser fell on the head of a masked ninja. They couldn't tell his age because all they could see was his silver, gravity-defying hair, and a single eye, the other being covered by his headband. It also didn't help that the lower half of his face was covered by a mask. Other than being quite tall, the man looked average; standard black jonin uniform, a green vest, black ninja sandals, overall looking like what practically any ninja of chuunin rank or higher, other than ANBU anyway, looked like.

Before anyone could even react, there was a sudden explosion of smoke from the eraser, much more intense than what would result from just some chalk dust. The next thing the jonin saw and felt was something white, soft and sweet in both taste and smell. What the three genin beheld was a cream pie of some sort shooting out of the eraser on a long spring, and hitting their new sensei in the face. Naruto was laughing loudly and rolling on the floor, boasting between his breaths about how his prank worked out, Sakura couldn't hold her giggles in at the sight of a ninja getting his whole face covered in cream, and even Sasuke was trying hard not to burst from the whole ordeal.

"Hm..." The man wiped most of the pie from his face. "Pineapples? Next time use bananas. Bananas are good." When he finished cleaning himself, the sensei looked at his new students, who managed to compose themselves. "How should I say this... My first impression of you guys..." The three preteens looked anticipating what he'd say. It was very short lived.

"I hate you."

The Uchiha and Haruno shot glares at the blond, blaming him for making their teacher mad. Naruto felt small under his teammates gazes.

Their teacher took them out of the classroom and onto the roof of the Academy. He was looking at his new students lazily with his one visible eye while they sat on the ground before him.

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves? Tell me your likes, dislikes, dreams... stuff like that." He said. 'This may prove interesting.'

"Sensei, maybe you should start first. None of us know anything about you." Sakura suggested.

"Hmmm...Well, if you insist. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention telling you my likes or dislikes. As for my dreams..." Kakashi took a dramatic pause here. "I have a few hobbies."

'All we know is his name,' was the collective thought of the three preteens.

"Now, who wants to be next?" Kakashi casually asked.

"Me! I'll go now!" Naruto shouted in his excited voice. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like cup ramen, but I like Ichiraku ramen more, especially when Iruka-sensei takes me there. I hate to wait the three minutes for ramen to cook. My hobbies include gardening and pulling pranks! And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage!"

'I see. He grew up in interesting way.' Kakashi mused, but his train of thought was interrupted by the blond, who continued his introduction.

"There is also another dream I have." Naruto's voice became a lot softer, which surprised those around him. "I want to find out about my roots. I know some things about my mom, and that she was from a big clan, but there are still so many things I don't know yet. Like, who was my dad? I'll find the answers to my questions, or I'm not Uzumaki Naruto!" His teammates and sensei could see a bright flame of determination burning in his bright blue eyes. No one knew that the knucklehead could be so serious about anything other than his favorite food.

'Naruto...' Sakura felt a little bad for the boy, knowing he was an orphan. She couldn't even try to imagine what it was like. 'Sure, my parents sometimes drive me crazy, but to not have them, never know who they were...It'd be a nightmare.'

Sasuke just looked on impassively. While both he and Naruto were somewhat in similar situations, there was no way the blond dead-last could ever phantom what he went through. No one could.

'Now, that was something unexpected. He may be a little more than meets the eye. Especially after what Sandaime-sama told me about him.' Kakashi thought to himself, then looked at the pink-haired girl. "Now you."

"I'm Haruno Sakura. My likes are...The person I like..." She looked briefly at Sasuke before blushing and squealing. "My dreams for the future..." Another glance at her crush, and another squeal.

The former ANBU Captain just sweat-dropped at the way his potential female student behaved. 'Girls her age are more interested in romance than being serious kunoichi, but is she for real? From her Academy files I know that she's very smart, but her physical results are quite miserable,' he thought. "And what do you hate?"

"Na-!" Sakura wanted to say 'Naruto', because he was the most annoying person she knew, but figured that she could cut him some slack for now. After all, not only had he made her kiss Sasuke, but his prank at their tardy sensei was something she had fun seeing. "I hate annoying people, the ones that would constantly pester me!"

Even if she didn't say his name, Naruto knew from the gaze the girl was sending him who she had in her thoughts when saying that. 'Was I really that bad?' The blond thought, feeling a little down.

"Well, you're the only one left." Kakashi commented to the other boy of the group.

"Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and not so many that I like." Sasuke said in a quiet, cold voice. "I don't have a dream, rather I have an ambition. I want to revive my clan... and kill a certain man."

There was a silence after this revelation. Sakura was thinking of how cool the boy of her dreams was right now, Naruto hoped that the last Uchiha didn't mean him, and Kakashi wasn't surprised. Slightly worried, yes, but not surprised. Knowing what most likely made the raven-haired boy come up with such quest for himself, the leader of Team Seven wondered if Sasuke's mental scars were a little too deep to heal.

"Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. Tomorrow we'll be performing a mission."

"What kind of mission is that, sensei?" Naruto asked loudly, as he was clearly excited to start his ninja career. Kakashi smiled with his visible eye at his enthusiasm.

"Survival training." That answer wasn't expected by the three genin, and it showed on their disappointed faces.

"Eh?! What kind of a mission is that?!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring at his new sensei.

"We had plenty of training in the Academy. What's the point of doing it, sensei?" Sakura asked, clearly confused at this revelation.

"This is no ordinary training," Kakashi said seriously.

"Then what kind of training is it? I don't understand!" The blond haired boy was utterly disoriented at this point. Hearing this, the jonin couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What's so funny, sensei?" Her teacher's behavior both unnerved and annoyed the Haruno girl. Something was off here, and she didn't like it at all. Glancing at her two teammates, Sakura could tell that they were just as anxious about it as she was, even if Sasuke looked indifferent, like always.

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised." In a split second, all humor disappeared from Kakashi's face, and his voice now sounded more serious. "Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. In other words, this training is a test for you, with a fail rate of sixty-six percent." Seeing the completely shocked faces of his three students, Hatake couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "See? You three are surprised!"

"What the hell?! This is the first time we ever heard of this!" Naruto shouted at the silver-haired jonin. "Then what was the exam we took earlier for?"

"That thing? It was to select those who have potential to become genin. But the last word belongs to me and the other jonin who took teams." Kakashi answered. "Tomorrow morning, I'll determine whether or not you have what it takes to be shinobi. Bring your equipment and meet me at training ground seven at five A.M.!"

'There is no way I'm going to dropped out like that!' Naruto thought, determined. 'I'll pass this test and become genin, my first step on the path to Hokage!'

'I don't have time to waste in the Academy again. I must become stronger to kill... him!' Sasuke squeezed his fists hard, bent on dealing with anything the man before him has up his sleeve.

'If I don't pass this test, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun! This is a trial of love!' Sakura was motivated to do her very best and beyond to keep her spot on the same team as the boy of her dreams.

"Well then, the meeting is over. Ah, one more thing! Don't eat breakfast tomorrow morning, or you'll throw up." Kakashi then vanished before anyone could even utter a word, leaving the three not-really genin on the roof.

Suddenly, Naruto snapped his head towards Sasuke. "Hey, what time is it now?"

"How should I know, dobe? I have better things to do than sitting with the two of you." After saying that, the last Uchiha walked back into the building.

"What a jerk!" Naruto commented before turning to Sakura and stopping her from following the raven-haired boy. "Ne, Sakura-chan! Please tell me what time it is now! I'll leave you alone afterwards!" He practically begged.

"Alright, alright! Geez, calm down a little! It's almost five P.M. right now." Sakura answered.

"Then I have an hour to go home and then meet her there! Thanks, Sakura-chan! See ya tomorrow! Ja ne!" The ever excited blond ran past the dumbstruck girl, leaving her alone on the roof. She blinked a few times, not really understanding her hyperactive teammate at all in that moment.

'What was that about?'

* * *

A few feet in front of the entrance to the Ichiraku Ramen stand, Hyuuga Hinata was waiting for her crush to arrive. The blunette was very nervous at this point, and couldn't stop fidgeting every now and then. Every few minutes she looked at the clock that was clearly visible, hanging on a wall of another restaurant on the street. It showed quarter past six already, and with her insecurities, Hinata couldn't help but worriedly wonder when the whiskered blond is going to arrive.

'Naruto-kun's late. M-Maybe he-he doesn't want to meet m-me... I-I mean, w-who would want to be with a f-failure like me...' Dark thoughts of how her own father preferred to train and spend time with Hanabi, her younger sister, who was so superior when it came to Jyuuken, surfaced and clouded Hinata's mind with self-doubt. 'He probably wanted to play a joke on me... So cruel...' Tears threatened to spill out of her pearly eyes, and the heiress was ready to go back home, but a shout stopped her for a moment.

"Hinata!" Naruto was running as fast as his legs could carry him. The whiskered youth knew that he was late, and was somewhat afraid that the girl he invited for a meal had already left. Thankfully, she was still at the ramen stand when he turned around the corner, and to catch Hinata's attention he shouted her name. When Naruto was finally in front of his favorite eatery, he stopped and tried to catch his breath, while at the same time trying to explain the reason of his lateness to the girl. "S-Sorry... I'm... late... sensei... came... three... hours... late." He tried to say more, but had to stop, because he started to choke.

"N-Naruto-kun! Please, d-don't worry about it! J-Just breath slowly!" Hinata said frantically, almost at the verge of panic, worried about her crush's health. Finally, it looked like Naruto's breath had slowed down. "B-Better?"

"Yeah, thanks. But now my throat is a little dry." The blond almost-genin replied. "Nothing a big bowl of delicious ramen can't fix! Let's go!" In his enthusiasm, Naruto didn't seem to notice that he took Hinata's hand, which caused a heavy blush to appear on her normally pale cheeks, and he dragged the poor girl into Ichiraku Ramen. "Jii-san! Nee-chan! Two bowls of pork ramen!"

"Naruto! I haven't seen you for a long while now!" Teuchi, the owner of the small restaurant, commented. "Ayame! Come here! Naruto is here!"

"Hey Naruto-kun!" An attractive young woman came out of the back. Seeing the young boy always made her happy, because it was never boring with him around. Immediately, Ayame noticed that Naruto was holding hands with a girl his age, and said girl looked very close to passing out, if the intense blush on her face was any indicator. Still, she couldn't pass up such a chance. "Who's your friend, Naruto-kun? Your girlfriend maybe?" Ayame teased, and the next thing she knew, the young kunoichi had fainted on the floor.

"Why did you do that, Nee-chan? And no, Hinata is only a friend! I'm trying to thank her for visiting me in the hospital and bringing me flowers! I offered to buy her a meal, simple as that!" Naruto answered as he tried to wake the Hyuuga up. After a few minutes, he succeeded. "Sorry about that, Hinata, but Ayame-neechan just likes to tease me every now and then!" He apologized to his friend.

"I-It's all right, Naruto-kun. I-I w-was surprised, that's all." Hinata said nervously, trying to ignore her fluttering heart. 'Though I wouldn't mind being your girlfriend for real...'

"That's a relief! I thought you'd be mad at me!" Naruto laughed a little. 'If it was Sakura-chan, then I'd be the one kissing the floor, with a big bump on my head, too!' The young Jinchuuriki thought grimly. As he helped her take a seat on a stool, the Uzumaki decided to introduce everyone. "Anyway, Ayame-neechan, this is Hyuuga Hinata, my friend from the Academy!"

"N-Nice to meet you, A-Ayame-san." Hinata bowed politely.

"The pleasure is mine, Hinata-chan! I'm glad someone so polite is friends with this troublemaker! Maybe he'll finally learn some manners, because all my attempts to teach him such things failed to get through that thick skull of his!" The waitress jokingly complained, despite loud protests from the blond. "Now, what will you order?"

"Eh?! B-But Na-Naruto-kun already ordered the food..." The flustered heiress tried to understand why this woman wanted her to order when Naruto did that just as the two came inside. Hinata was surprised by the laugh from both her crush and the waitress, she could even hear Teuchi's snickering from the kitchen. "W-What's so funny?"

"Sorry about that, but it's just too funny. Hinata-chan, two bowls of ramen isn't even a snack for this guy. You may as well say that it's his appetizer." Ayame explained. "Usually he can eat fifteen to even twenty bowls in one sitting. Now that you know this, I'll ask again, what can I get for you?"

"Um... m-miso will be fine..." Hinata stammered, placing her order. Ayame quickly wrote it down and went to help her father in getting them ready, especially since Naruto was there, and would naturally eat a lot.

When the waitress left the two genin alone, an awkward silence grew between them. Neither of them knew how to start a conversation for a bit. Finally, Naruto decided to break the ice.

"So, how was the meeting with your sensei?"

"Huh? Oh, i-it was good. I-I knew Kurenai-sensei from the time she walked me to the Academy. B-But the test tomorrow..." Hinata trailed off, looking anywhere but the blond boy beside her.

"You know about it? Are you worried about not passing?" Naruto asked, to which the girl nodded ever so slightly. "Don't worry! I bet we'll both rock that test, and have our senseis recognize our talents! We just have to give it our all!" he replied with confidence. Though they were simple words, the shy girl couldn't help a small smile curving her lips. Seeing this, Naruto decided to try one more thing to make Hinata feel better. "Hey, you wanna hear how I made Kakashi-sensei pay for his lateness?"

When the food was finally ready, Ayame came back carrying their orders, and saw an amusing scene. Naruto was telling in detail how his sensei came for his team over three hours late, how all three waiting genin were impatient and annoyed with the man, and finally his prank on the scarecrow-ninja. When the whiskered boy described the effects of his practical joke, neither Hinata nor Ayame could help their giggles. Naruto was also laughing with them, happy to see smiles and hear someone laughing _with_ him instead of _at _him.

The evening went quite well, with soon Naruto being at his eighth bowl of ramen, beef this time, while Hinata was still trying to finish her second. The young Hyuuga was quite surprised at the unusually great taste of simple noodles that you could buy cheaply in a store. While not something she would be able to eat every day, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy it every now and then. "This is r-really g-good!"

"I told you! Ramen is the best food of all! And Ichiraku's is the best in entire world!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning brightly and making the shy girl blush for about the hundredth time that evening.

"While I appreciate your high opinion of our ramen, Naruto, remember that not everyone enjoys it as much as you." Teuchi said then called to his daughter. "Ayame, help me with the last serving. Let's leave the two kids alone." Afterwards, both the owner and the waitress disappeared from sight.

"I-I still didn't t-thank you for inviting m-me to dinner, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, her intense blush dusting her normally pale cheeks.

"What are you talking about? I'm the one that should thank YOU for visiting me, and for those flowers! You are the first person who's ever done that for me, well, in my age group, at least!" Naruto said with his everlasting enthusiasm. Suddenly a thought hit him. "Ne, Hinata?"

"H-Hai?"

"Do you know how to meditate?"

"Huh? A-Ano, yes, I know h-how to do it." The question surprised the young kunoichi and it showed on her face. Letting her curiosity take charge, she wondered about the reason behind it. "W-Why do you ask, Naruto-kun?" She couldn't help but blush an even more intense shade when Naruto leaned towards her and motioned for Hinata to do the same.

"I'll tell you a secret. I have a Kekkei Genkai, but I don't know how to activate it or what it does. The only scroll I have about it says that one of the ways to unlock it is to meditate, but I've never done something like that. Can you help me?" he half-whispered to her.

Now Hinata was pretty much both excited that her crush asked her for help, but also scared and nervous of failing him. Not to mention that the only meditation techniques she knows are for Juuken training, and the shy girl didn't know if she could tell the blond about them. 'Naruto-kun only wants to know how to properly meditate. There shouldn't be any harm if I explain some basic methods of my clan to him.' She thought with resolve and focused on the boy before her. "T-There are a f-few ways to me-meditate, Naruto-kun. F-For starters, you should sit down, c-close your eyes, breathe d-deeply, and try to focus your mind on your h-heartbeat." The blunette explained.

"Wow, you sure know a lot, ne Hinata?" Naruto exclaimed, impressed and happy that his new friend knew so much about the exercise that he had no idea even existed. "Do you think it'll help me?"

"I-I-I d-don't know. But maybe if you try meditating like that for some time, then something will come to you, or you'll activate your bloodline altogether. S-Some of the Hyuuga do this to train their Byakugan f-for the first time." Hinata then looked at the nearby clock and nearly panicked as it showed seven-thirty, which meant that she had only half-an-hour to get home. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I must really go, or F-Father will be angry at me for being out so late!

"That's all right. I understand, Hinata. Thanks for your company and advice!" Naruto grinned brightly.

"O-Oyasuminasai (Goodnight) Ayame-san, Teuchi-san, N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata politely bowed towards each person and ran out of the stand, trying to quickly get home.

"Nice girl, don't you think Naruto?" Teuchi asked casually, but in truth he wanted to know what the blond genin thought.

"Can't say she's not, but she sure is weird. Turning so red all the time and fainting can't be healthy, right?" When he said that, both Ayame and her father wondered if their favorite customer was really that naïve, or just plain ignorant. They couldn't decide which of the two was the issue.

* * *

The chilly morning air did little to chase Naruto's sleepiness away. Never before had the blond boy have to wake up at such an early hour, when the sun would only start to rise on the horizon. Along the way to the training ground where the test for Team Seven would be held by their sensei, Naruto had to endure constant complaints of his empty stomach, courtesy of taking Kakashi's advice about not eating breakfast. When he finally arrived, he was not surprised to see his two teammates already there, both looking sleepy and hungry, though Sasuke still wore his mask of indifference, but the growling sounds coming from his direction betrayed the truth.

Training Ground Seven wasn't any different from other training grounds that were used by ninja. What made it different were the three large wooden training posts embedded in the ground, and some kind of monument made of granite, which was most definitely important. No one was in mood to investigate them further, however, so the three teammates each got to one of the stumps and sat under it, waiting for their sensei to appear.

Hours passed, the sun was getting higher and the air got warmer, forecasting beautiful weather for the day, though the three genin didn't seem to notice or care. They were too hungry and too cranky to think about anything other than cursing their tardy sensei, who has yet to show up. Even Naruto surprised the other two preteens with being so tired and irritable, even under such circumstances, because until now Sasuke and Sakura were convinced that nothing would diminish the boundless energy of the blond.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Kakashi appeared a few feet beside the black monument.

"Yo." The scarecrow said nonchalantly, which earned him three harsh glares from his students. "Something the matter?"

"Yo? YO?!" Naruto had as much patience as his stomach had contents, which meant none. "Where the hell have you been, sensei?! We've been waiting for you for at least five hours now!"

"I was on my way here, but got lost on the road of life." Kakashi explained, then shrugged the offended gazes at his obvious lie. He took out a timer and set it on the middle training post, and put two boxes that looked like bentos beside the monument. "Let's get to the test, shall we? You have until noon to try and take these from me." He held up his hand with two small bells on strings.

"That's it?" Sakura asked, a little confused.

"We'll rock this test 'ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Sasuke only wanted to get over this farce.

"There are a few more rules." Kakashi continued. "Those who don't get a bell before the timer goes off at noon will be tied to those posts and watch as I eat their lunch." At that last statement, and upon knowing there were two delicious bento boxes just a few feet away from them, a loud grumbling sound was heard from the three kids, and they all glared at their sensei with hungry and menacing looks. "Next is that whoever doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the Academy."

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, outraged by both conditions.

"But there are only two bells, sensei!" Sakura pointed out. Sasuke only hardened his gaze at the older ninja.

"Which means that one of you will definitely be tied up and sent back. Also, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you have no chance of taking these from me." Kakashi said very calmly. "Use your kunai and shuriken if you must, I even encourage you to."

"W-what if you get hurt?" Sakura was worried about the man. She couldn't imagine herself stabbing anyone with a sharp weapon to injure or... kill.

Kakashi only smiled under his mask at the pinkette's naiveté. "Don't worry. I'm a jonin for a reason, and I doubt any of you three could really harm me." He then looked at the timer. "Now then, let's-" All of a sudden, Naruto brought out his own kunai and before anyone could say or do anything, the blond leaped at the man, aiming at his head. What happened next, no one really understood, because just as soon as Naruto was close to the silver-haired man, he found himself restrained, with his own kunai pointed at the back of his head, and Kakashi standing behind him, holding the boy's hand. "How impatient. You didn't even let me say 'start'." Naruto only gritted his teeth to stop a spiteful comeback.

'I didn't even seen him move!' Sasuke thought, shocked and excited at the same time. 'This is speed of a jonin.'

"Now we'll do it correctly, all right?" Kakashi said as he released the blond. Then he looked at the timer to confirm the time. "Start!"

Immediately after the signal, all three genin vanished from the clearing. Sasuke climbed to a high branch on one of the nearby trees, trying to keep an eye on the older ninja, to find the perfect opportunity to strike. One the other hand, Sakura went low, hiding under some very thick bushes, but still not losing sight of her sensei, also trying to find her crush. Both were convinced that their hideouts were good, and that Kakashi wouldn't be able to find them too fast. However, the silver-haired man was a seasoned jonin, so he easily located both of them.

'One of the fundamental elements in being a shinobi, the ability to hide your presence using terrain. As expected from the Rookie of the Year and the brightest kunoichi in the class, both are quite good and have decent understanding of the basics,' the veteran ninja thought to himself, but found out that one of the kids was missing. 'Now, where cou-'

"Oi! Kakashi-sensei! Time to beat you up and make you recognize my greatness!" Naruto suddenly boasted. The blond stood several yards from the place where he was subdued by the masked man.

Everyone else sweat-dropped at the boy's lack of tactics.

'What an idiot.' Sasuke deadpanned.

'Baka! He'll only get beaten by sensei again!' Sakura scolded the hyperactive boy in her mind.

"A frontal assault? Do you really think that'll work on me?" Kakashi asked with a bored tone, trying to decide whether his blond student was stupid, overconfident, retarded, or all of the above.

"I won't know if I don't try!" Naruto charged with a mighty battle cry and raised fists. He wanted to pummel the man to the ground and make him acknowledge his strength.

"So be it. While I'm not your official sensei yet, I think that I can teach some basic things. Shinobi basics, lesson number one: Taijutsu." Saying this, the one-eyed ninja put his hand inside the pouch on his hip, making the running blond suddenly stop and step away. "You are cautious, that's good."

"If this is a taijutsu fight, then why are you bringing out a weapon?" Naruto asked, confused. He was even more flabbergasted when, instead of a kunai, he saw an orange book in his sensei's hand. "What the heck is that?"

"Oh, it's my favorite book, called Icha-Icha Paradise, written by a very good author." Kakashi answered nonchalantly. "Now don't let it distract you. Continue with your assault."

"Then put that away! Why did you bring it out in the first place?"

"Because I want know what happens next. Don't worry, I only need half of my attention to beat you." The older ninja said as he turned to the next page, only infuriating the blond further.

"I'll pummel you!" Naruto saw red, he was mad at this man for disrespecting and underestimating him. He threw his first punch, hoping to get the masked ninja. His heart pumped blood through the system, his adrenaline kept his senses sharp and reflexes keen. The jewel on the blond's chest pulsed softly as chakra started to subconsciously slip through Naruto's whole body, concentrating in his limbs and torso.

Kakashi didn't think much about such a blunt approach from the hyperactive genin. However, he was genuinely surprised when he caught Naruto's fist. The sheer force of the punch would have broken the bones in his hand if he had been a civilian. Only his war-hardened body and experience as a seasoned ANBU and jonin saved the older man's hand from being utterly obliterated.

'What strength! Not only did he almost break my wrist with just the impact force, but his fist seemed as hard as steel! Is he using chakra to enhance his punches? Impossible, the records from the Academy said that his chakra control was miserable!' Kakashi couldn't continue with his musings, because Naruto suddenly launched a devastating combo of wild punches and kicks, with knees and elbows added to the mix. When the older shinobi evaded one strong hit, the blond boy retaliated by whirling suddenly and attacking with his elbow, aiming for the neck, and after one missed high kick, where the silver-haired man crouched under it, Naruto attacked his head with a well-aimed knee strike. It was only thanks his superior reflexes that Kakashi avoided a painful and dangerous attack on his masked face, but he also noticed that the rumored 'dead last' is not only abnormally strong...

'This taijutsu is practically a brawl, but as the fight prolongs, he's gaining both speed and precision.' The jonin thought, while still trying to evade the Jinchuuriki's advances. It wasn't easy, especially since Kakashi didn't want to reveal his true strengths more than it was necessary. However, here he was, getting cornered by a fresh genin who was supposed to be a complete failure when it came to serious shinobi work. Unbeknown to both adversaries, their fight was quite the spectacle for the two other young ninja.

'S-Sugoi (Amazing)! I never knew Naruto was so good!' Sakura thought, awed by the display.

'Where did the dobe get this strong? He's almost beating Kakashi into submission!' Sasuke unconsciously gripped the bark of the tree he was on. 'I'll be better! I must be! To kill... HIM!'

After a while, Kakashi managed to gain distance from the blond, enough to quickly make a strategy. When he saw a familiar cross seal, the jonin got a little nervous. The boy was proving to him once again that there was more to a person than what their file said.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Seven boys in total charged at the man. Two from the left, and two from the right. Another jumped high above, while his partner went low. The original Naruto ran straight to his target. However, they never reached the man, because just as the first clones were to make contact, Kakashi suddenly disappeared from sight in a cloud of white smoke, leaving a log behind, making all his opponents stumble upon it.

"Kuso! Where is he?" Naruto growled out, but his stomach suddenly complained. 'Ugh! Creating those clones only made me more hungry.' To conserve his energy, the blond dismissed the clones and let his guard down a little from the exhaustion they left behind. It was then that a wire trap sprung underneath him. "What the-!" Hanging upside-down, Naruto saw his sensei approaching slowly. "Hey! This isn't fair!"

"Nothing in life is fair, deal with it. You are too hot-headed and didn't pay attention to your surroundings, Naruto." The jonin scolded as the boy looked at him defiantly. "You didn't even notice when I put down the trap. In this shinobi world, you must be constantly vigilant."

'Now's my chance!' Sasuke thought, sending several shuriken flying towards the older ninja. The last Uchiha aimed at the blind spot of the man, there was no way he could miss.

"If you can't learn from it, then you'll be only a bur-" Kakashi's next words were interrupted by a bunch of sharp projectiles impaling the man, much to the shock of both Naruto and Sakura, the second of whom was still hidden under the bushes, observing everything that happened. Sasuke practically gloated at his first kill, but his hopes were crushed when instead of a body, he saw a battered log.

'Tch! A substitution! Now he knows where I am!' The avenger quickly jumped from tree to tree. His goal was to find a new hideout as fast as possible.

'Sasuke-kun!' Sakura was also moving, but to find the last Uchiha and hopefully help him attain both bells so they will stay on the same team.

In the meantime, Naruto was struggling to get free from his bonds. After a few attempts, he managed to finally cut the wire and fall to the ground. "Now, where could sensei have disappeared to?" he wondered out loud and started to look around, trying to find some clues. Going through the bushes, something caught his eye.

"What's this? Sensei's book?" Indeed, he found the orange covered book that Kakashi held in his hand during their fight. Curiosity got the better of the blond prankster. He really wanted to know what was so interesting that it got a jonin so hooked. He opened to a random page and started reading out loud. "'Kaito grabbed her hips and held her strongly against himself. His hard chest rubbed against her sensitive breasts. Through the thin material, he felt her nip-' THE HELL?! IT'S A PORN!" Out of shock and rage, the genin started trashing the book, jumping on it, ripping out pages. Suddenly, he felt an ominous presence behind him. Turning around, he saw his teacher, who didn't look happy at the sight of his precious book's state.

"Now you've done it, Naruto." The calm and cold voice scared the shit out of Naruto, just as much as the evil glint in the jonin's visible eye. Before the blond could say anything, without warning he was struck in the back of his neck, and the next thing he saw was darkness.

* * *

Naruto regained his senses after a while. He saw both Sasuke and Sakura sitting under two wooden posts, while he was tied to the middle one. It was clear that they didn't get the bells either, judging from their faces. Also, considering the high position of sun, it was already past noon, which meant only one thing: the test was over. They have failed. Not to mention that there were growling sounds coming from the three's stomachs.

"Sounds like you're all very hungry." Kakashi jovially commented. "Anyway, the result of this training is that none of you will be sent back to the Academy."

All genin perked up at this declaration. Naruto grinned goofily, Sakura cheered about 'love prevailing', and Sasuke smirked arrogantly. They already celebrated their success at becoming real ninja. However, the jonin wasn't finished talking.

"You three should quit being ninja altogether."

Shock. That was the only expression that the young members of Team Seven had on their faces. Their dreams and hopes, crushed by cruel words.

"Quit?! What do you mean by that?!" Naruto struggled helplessly against his bonds as he shouted his question. "True, we didn't get the bells, but why are you saying we should quit?!"

"It's because I only see three kids that doesn't deserve to be shinobi." Sasuke suddenly shot at the man, but Kakashi overpowered him easily, making the raven-haired boy lie on the grass face down, the jonin's foot stepping on the back of his head, making him totally powerless. "See? You are just kids." Kakashi looked at the other two very seriously. "Do you think being a ninja is easy? Why do you think we're divided into groups of several people?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"In other words, you still don't know the real answer to this training exercise. If you really are that stupid, then I'll just spell it for you. It's teamwork!" Kakashi exclaimed. "If all of you came at me, then you may have had a chance to get the bells. But now it's too late to realize that."

"Wait sensei! There are only two bells! Even if we worked together, we'd be still divided!" Sakura claimed, trying to see a logic here.

"Oh, then you're saying that your own personal agenda is more important than your teammates?" Kakashi asked, making the girl feel uncomfortable under his intense gaze. "This test was to pit you all against each other, to see who would put teamwork above themselves. All of you were pathetic. Sakura!" he barked, and the young kunoichi tensed. "You ignored Naruto to seek Sasuke, despite the fact that you didn't know where he was, while Naruto was just before you." The scolding made her blush a little and look to the ground in shame. "Naruto!" Kakashi called out to the blond. "All you did was work on your own." Finally the jonin looked at the boy under him. "And you thought that these two would only slow you down, so you ignored them and did everything yourself."

The feeling of defeat coursed through all of them. Until now, none of the fresh genin thought that being a ninja could be this serious. It seemed that their sensei was right on all accounts, and they didn't deserve to be passed, no matter how much the truth hurt.

"Missions are done by teams. It's not well-developed abilities, but teamwork that's most important. Actions of an individual that disrupt the teamwork would result in the death of them and their teammates. Here's a small example," Kakashi explained and brought out a kunai and put it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto, or Sasuke will die!"

To everyone's surprise, the pinkette actually took out her own weapon and stabbed the blond in the middle of the chest, making Kakashi lose his grip on Sasuke a little. It was enough for the boy to release himself and attack the older man, while Sakura started throwing shuriken and kunai she had on herself. Kakashi, dodging everything, still couldn't believe what occurred here. The two genin sacrificed their teammate to get him to drop his guard.

'They are lower than trash,' he finally decided. 'Time to get serious-' His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden and sharp impact onto his back. Turning around, he saw two blond boys with their elbows driven right where his kidneys were. It hurt so much that Kakashi stumbled and fell down to the ground. Next, the jonin found all three of his students before him, Naruto holding both bells. Looking back to where he saw the blond getting stabbed, he saw that there were only loose ropes around the stump. "How did you do that?"

"Wasn't easy, sensei. I left one clone and had it hide itself until the right opportunity arrived. I'm not the greatest prankster in this village for nothing! I can sense when something fishy is going on!" Naruto started explaining. "Then my clone searched for both teme and Sakura-chan. We all agreed that there was something fishy going on here, but it was Sakura-chan who convinced us to play along and try to get a bell on our own." A wide grin threatened to split the boy's face in half. "Guess what! I get all the memories of the clones that dispel! I discovered it after my Kage Bunshin talked things with my team!"

"Like you said, sensei, we never stood a chance against you one on one. Also, I've read some past records about genin teams, and there never was a two-man team. A singular apprenticeship, maybe, but never a team of two genin and an instructor. That was my first clue." Sakura said, picking up the explanation. "While we didn't cooperate during the test, there was a chance of getting you after we 'failed'. And it worked!" She smiled brightly.

Kakashi was truly stunned, but quickly looked at Sasuke. "And you went along with all this planning?" The last Uchiha didn't answer, other than a small incoherent grumble.

"Sasuke-teme is just sour that he lost a bet with us!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, earning a heated glare from the mentioned boy. Sakura only blushed slightly and looked bashful all of sudden, arousing the jonin's curiosity.

"A bet?" Kakashi asked.

"When teme didn't want to believe and play along, my clone proposed a bet. If we were only to get the bells, then we would both leave him alone for a month. And if we were right and our plan worked, then he'd have to grant one favor each to both of us." Naruto said, still grinning like a cat that got the canary. "Now he has to call me 'Naruto-sama' for whole two weeks!" he gloated.

"You're an idiot." Sasuke commented, to which the blond turned to him with an expecting look. "Naruto-sama." The self-proclaimed avenger begrudgingly added, at which the prankster nodded with a satisfied grin.

"And what do you get out of this wager?" The masked man was looking at Sakura when he asked that.

"E-Eto..." To the surprise of everyone, the pinkette suddenly started to behave like a certain heiress usually did. She blushed lightly and was fidgeting, trying to answer the question.

"He has to take her out on a date and try to enjoy it." Naruto said bluntly. "The last part was my idea. At least now teme can prove he's not totally gay."

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura suddenly punched him in the back of his head. She was embarrassed to say anything earlier, but when the blond said what her prize was in such a blunt manner, the young kunoichi lost her patience. It didn't help that his constant jokes about Sasuke's preferences were getting on her nerves.

'What a dysfunctional team I've got here... At least it won't be boring,' Kakashi mused. He was starting to like those kids. "Well, you obviously beat me in my game, and managed to get the bells. Now that you know the real purpose behind this test, I have nothing more to say than...You pass!"

"YATTA!" Naruto cheered, Sakura was jumping up and down with joy, and Sasuke only smirked arrogantly, but you could find a trace of happiness on his face.

"Tomorrow we'll start doing real missions. Prepare yourselves!" After saying that, he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Sasuke-kun, come pick me up at seven tonight! Later guys!" In a rush of spontaneity, Sakura pecked the brooding boy on his cheek, mightily surprising him with that, before dashing to her home in order to get ready for her date. 'Best. Day. EVER! SHANNARO!'

* * *

Later that evening, Naruto walked inside his small apartment, totally exhausted from his personal training session. After discovering the trick he could do with his clones, the blond decided that they could be great sparring partners. While a single Kage Bunshin wasn't as durable as the original, what if you make ten of them come at you? Participating in small battles is the reason why Naruto was now tired beyond his imagination.

However, despite the lack of energy and minor injuries, he couldn't sleep. For two hours straight, the boy laid there on his bed, trying to find the best position to fall asleep, but for some reason he was unable to. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the blond genin finally got up to try another idea.

'Maybe meditation will help me... Hinata said that you need to breathe deeply with closed eyes, and calm your mind.' Naruto sat down in the lotus position and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in through his nose and then releasing it with his mouth. Going further with the advice he got from the shy Hyuuga girl, the blond tried to focus on his steady heartbeat. Slowly, his mind drifted away, becoming peaceful and very calm.

Naruto couldn't really explain this, but he really felt at peace. For once, his boundless energy didn't seem to disturb his relaxation.

However, such a blissful state didn't last as long as he'd hoped.

_Uzumaki Naruto...I've been waiting for you._

* * *

**A/N: Finally finished this chapter. Took me long enough, huh? Sorry if the ending seems a little rushed.  
**

**Anyway I think that I owe you a little explanation as to why this chapter was so hard for me to finish. As some of you may recall, I mentioned the death of my two grandfathers in a span of three months. There was another sudden death in my family. My father passed away on the 21****st**** of July, he was only 49. I won't hide the fact that it was his addiction that was the main reason of his death (he smoked cigarettes and was an alcoholic). Because he was also very stubborn, we never noticed that there was anything wrong with his health.**

**When my father didn't come back from work (part-time on construction) that day (it was Thursday), we weren't really concerned. The night before, he fought with my mother over something unreal (he was drunk again and that made him think and say irrational things), so we thought that he had spent the night at one of his friends' houses. However, when he didn't give us any signal until Saturday, that's when we called police and reported him missing.**

**On Monday morning I was home alone. The phone rang and I answered. It was police with information that they found a body. I went with them for recognition to the morgue. There on the table laid my father. The doctor said that someone saw him collapsing on a road and called for an ambulance, but he died right after they got him to the hospital. Probably a stroke or heart attack...don't remember...**

**After the funeral, the whole circus started. Together, with my mom and brother we went to various offices and insurance companies to deal with the paperwork. For a whole two months, we went from door to door and explained the same story over and over again. Now it's almost over, and I hope that the whole situation will calm down a bit.**

**My family is somehow coping. It's not easy to even think that the people you lived with your whole life are suddenly gone forever.**

**These are my main reasons for my lateness and the lack of updates of my stories. Both emotional pain and the strain from working over the tons of papers have taken its toll on my ability to write. However, like I said earlier, I'm slowly getting back into the game.**

**I hope you can forgive my lateness. I'll try to keep from doing that again in the future.**

**Thank you all for your patience with me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This story is still going! They all are! I haven't abandoned them or anything like that. The hiatus was caused by several major things happening in real life (see the AN at the end of the previous chapter).**

**That said, I'm happy to give you a new chapter of my bloodline Naruto challenge story!**

* * *

_Uzumaki Naruto...I was waiting for you._

It was a very weird experience for Naruto. When the blond boy recalled Hinata's advice about meditation, there wasn't much that he expected from his first try, maybe falling asleep after a few minutes of sitting without moving. However, this feeling of peace, the calmness that dominated his normally chaotic mind, it was nothing like Naruto had ever experienced. Slowly opening his blue eyes, the young Genin found himself surrounded by the deepest darkness and silence that any human could ever know. Despite these conditions, there was no fear or anxiety in the boy's heart, just serenity deep inside his soul.

_Your will is your power._

Out of nowhere, silver and gold light surrounded Naruto, more of a flame than anything. It curled, danced, and swirled, creating a ring around him. Curiously, he stretched his right arm into this substance, without fear of being hurt. It actually felt very warm, in a pleasant way. Something was guiding him, telling what he had to do. After a few seconds, Naruto finally took his arm out of this mysterious fire, seeing how a silvery glove covered his hand, looking like it was made out of a polished metal. Moving it around a few times, the blond discovered that the ring around him stirred and shifted along with him.

Letting his instincts guide him, Naruto began a simple combination of taijutsu stances. With each strike, the flames would change their shape, growing or shrinking alternately, synchronizing themselves with the boy's movements. As Naruto's forms became more complex, more dynamic, so did the fire around him, in the end engulfing him in a tower of silver and gold, dispersing the surrounding darkness away.

_Embrace your legacy._

The young Genin watched, mesmerized, the dancing fire that was all around him. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, and yet it held a frightening power behind it, one that could destroy anything in its path. Thankfully, it needed a trigger to release those destructive capabilities, which caused Naruto to breathe a sigh of relief. When the flaming inferno around him started to close on itself, he wasn't afraid. Something was telling him that this was the power that belonged to his ancestors.

_Emotions are the key._

Finally, the flaming tower collapsed on Naruto, and he took it with open arms. Now his whole body was covered in this silver and gold metal, like his hand earlier, and on his face was a fox-shaped mask, the exact same one he had on when he fought Mizuki so long ago. The blond himself didn't feel any different, other than this strange sensation of finding a piece of himself that he didn't even know he was lacking. Along with that, a message was buried deep inside his heart, one that would wait for the right moment to reveal itself, be it in a few days, months, or long years. Then and only then the boy will be ready to face his trials. For now, it will lay dormant, unknown and undetectable to its host, observing his development, waiting for the time when he's ready.

_Find your center, and remember..._

Naruto opened his eyes in the real world, stiff from sitting in one position for practically the whole night, judging by the brightness of his room from the light of the morning sun. Despite the lack of regular sleep, the boy actually felt quite rested, though he had this strange sensation on his right palm. When Naruto looked at it, to his great surprise, the palm of his hand had a silver spot in the middle, and it slowly disappeared, vaporizing before he could get a better look. Recalling his dream from the previous night, the young Genin wasn't really sure what to think of it. He decided to leave it for later, as he looked at the clock which said that there were only a few minutes left before his team's meeting time. Naruto quickly dressed into his sleeveless black and orange shirt, put on simple black pants, sandals, and tied his forehead protector, then left his apartment.

* * *

The next two weeks were rather uneventful for the Uzumaki boy. During that time, his team was sent on a dozen so-called D-rank missions, which in reality were nothing more than the chores of people who were too lazy to do them themselves. On the bright side, however, it was still nice to receive the money you rightfully earned, no matter how insignificant the job was. Also, Kakashi, with his usual tendency to be at least two hours late, made his three Genin go through various team-bonding exercises, as well as giving individual pointers, like having Naruto do some simple chakra control exercises with a leaf, or making Sakura run a few laps around the training ground, and as for Sasuke, the last Uchiha could be seen practicing his family's taijutsu style.

Other than when he was doing these activities, and sometimes even then, Naruto couldn't get his mind off the strange dream he had a few days ago. Several times now, he tried to meditate and recall it, but all he could accomplish was calming down a little and having an unusual feeling in his hands, like someone put them in a block of modeling clay or mud, but whenever the blond opened his eyes, everything looked normal and his hands were unchanged. It frustrated him greatly, especially after so many tries, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

Right now the blond boy was eating a large ramen lunch at Ichiraku, still wondering about the dream and its meaning.

"Something on your mind, Naruto?" A familiar voice brought the preteen blond out of his musings.

"Iruka-sensei! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, a little surprised, but still happy to see his favorite teacher. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Academy, boring little kids with your lectures?"

"For your information, teachers have free time too. I currently have a two hour break between classes since it's lunch time," Iruka calmly answered, taking note of his favorite prankster's pout for not taking the bait. Years of teaching kids allowed him to develop the patience of a saint, even if the blond boy sitting beside him often managed to get under his skin before graduating. "So, what's on your mind?" The chuunin casually asked while making an order for miso pork ramen.

"What makes you think I'm thinking about anything?" Naruto asked, trying to fake innocence. It didn't work on the veteran teacher.

"I know you Naruto. I've seen the look you always get when you're thinking about something serious." The blond boy smiled dumbly while scratching the back of his head. "Also, your ramen is getting cold, and you never leave it alone that long." Iruka then looked at his former student with caring eyes. "We may not be teacher and student anymore, but now we're comrades, and I'd like to help my fellow Konoha Shinobi out if I can."

Reluctantly, the younger ninja sighed in defeat, as he knew that he couldn't just brush off his former teacher. "Well, do you remember the night when I..._'stopped'_ Mizuki from taking the Scroll of Sealing?" Naruto still had issues talking about his very first kill, not to mention the ugly truth of being the container of the very demon that attacked Konoha the day the blond was born. Thankfully, Iruka sensed his nervousness, and nodded for the boy to continue. Naruto explained the two scrolls he got from the Hokage, one of which was about the hidden bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, along with the advice concerning how to activate it. He explained how Hinata helped him with his very first attempt at meditating, and the strange dream he had that night. "After that vision, or whatever it was, I've been confused as to what to do next. Whenever I try to meditate the way Hinata told me, I only get blackness in my mind and something sticky in my hands, which disappears just as I open my eyes. How can I use my new abilities if I can't even activate them at will? Do you know other ways of meditating that could help me, Iruka-sensei?"

"Honestly, I'm not really sure what to tell you, Naruto. It appears to me that Hinata showed you the most basic form of meditation, and to tell you the truth, I don't know any other way. I know that the Hyuuga Clan has some advanced techniques for meditation, but what those are, I don't know."

"Hey, maybe I could ask Hinata to show this advanced stuff!" Naruto shouted excitedly, only to be silenced by the chuunin slapping the back of his head. "Itai! What was that for?"

"Don't even think about pressuring Hinata like that. You could cause her some serious trouble with her family, and we wouldn't want that, right?"

"Huh?" Naruto was utterly confused by that statement. "What do you mean, Iruka-sensei?"

"The Hyuuga Clan is very prestigious and powerful, and they take a great pride in their secrets. I've had a few encounters with some of the members of both branches in the past, during missions and such, and most of them think they're better than everybody else," Iruka said calmly. "Not all of them are like that, obviously, but the majority of them are just like I described."

"But Hinata isn't anything like those jerks! Sure, she stutters a lot and turns red all the time, and I guess she's a little weird, but I don't think I've ever seen her being mean or arrogant!" Naruto argued.

"I know that, Naruto! Don't interrupt me!" Iruka was a little annoyed at the blond beside him, but calmed down quickly and returned to his lecture. "Like I said earlier, the Hyuuga are very secretive about their techniques and traditions. And while a good ninja should always be secretive about their jutsu, they take this phrase seriously enough to teach their children about the importance of protecting the family's traditions." Finally, the scarred chuunin looked very sternly at his former student. "What I want you to understand is that should Hinata show the secret techniques of her family, be it their taijutsu or meditation exercises, to an outsider, she would face some very serious consequences from them, especially since she's the oldest daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan head. That makes her an heiress, and future leader of the clan."

"Wait, so you're saying that Hinata could get into big trouble with her clan if I asked her for help? Even though she's the heiress?"

"Especially because she's the heiress! There are a lot of expectations and pressures she has to face because of this position. How do you think her clan would react if they knew that their future head is giving away such closely guarded secrets to an outsider?" Seeing that Naruto got the point, Iruka's tone became more sincere. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should avoid seeking help from others or push Hinata away because of what I've said, but you must understand that there are some things that she can't tell or show anyone outside of her family. Just don't pressure her about the advanced stuff, and everything should be fine."

"But how will I find a way to activate my Kekkei Genkai if I don't know any advanced meditation methods?" Naruto asked his old teacher, who in turn took a little while to think about it.

"I don't know Naruto," Iruka sighed, frustrated that he couldn't help the boy. However, a thought hit him. "Despite what I said earlier, Hinata could help you, or at least I think she can."

"Really? How?" the blond asked impatiently, making Iruka smile at his enthusiasm.

"Are you aware that the Hyuuga have their own Kekkei Genkai?" After getting a confused look from the boy, Iruka sighed loudly. "This is what you get for not paying any attention during my lectures in the Academy." Naruto only smiled goofily and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, while the chuunin returned to his 'teacher mode'. "All right, I'll tell you, but you better remember what I'll be saying, because if you don't pay any attention, I'll ask Ayame-chan here to not serve you ramen for at least six weeks."

"WHAT?!" Naruto was utterly shocked by this revelation. "You wouldn't do that, Iruka-sensei! And Ayame-neechan and Teuchi-jiisan wouldn't agree to that in a thousand years!"

"Actually Naruto-kun, my dad and I agree with Iruka-san on this," Ayame said in a serious tone, while her father only nodded to the notion. "You really should pay more attention in class, or people will think that you really are stupid."

"You wouldn't do that to your best customer, would you?" Naruto asked with a pleading voice and teary eyes, but the ramen chefs were adamant.

"Sorry Naruto. Best customer or not, you really did neglected your education," Teuchi said calmly. "Besides, wouldn't you like to learn about your new friend?"

Reluctantly, the blond agreed with their opinions. It was true that he didn't pay much attention to the theoretic part of Academy's curriculum, and that the rest of his peers were much smarter than him. The lack of family doesn't excuse one from knowing common knowledge or important facts that are part of the education of a future shinobi. Not to mention that there was ramen at stake! He couldn't let himself be away from the food of the gods for over a month! 'And it would be good to know some more about Hinata,' Naruto thought to himself. "All right. So, what was that stuff about Hinata's family, Iruka-sensei?"

"Like I was saying, the Hyuuga clan has their own Kekkei Genkai, called the Byakugan. You ever noticed how Hinata and any other Hyuuga have no pupils and the same eye color?" The boy nodded, and Iruka continued his lecture. "That is the physical proof of their bloodline limit. How they ended up all having such eyes is still unknown, but it's the subject of this discussion. What's important are the characteristics of the Byakugan."

"Characteristics?" Naruto asked, confused by the difficult word.

"The traits that makes their eyes special. A Hyuuga who activates their Byakugan can see almost three hundred sixty degrees around themselves, enhance their vision to great distances, and even see their enemy's chakra system."

"Whoa! That sounds pretty wicked!" Naruto commented excitedly. "Can Hinata do all that stuff?"

"Ask her the next time you two meet. Now don't interrupt!" Iruka was a little irritated, and the blond boy could only smile sheepishly. "Anyway, that last ability of the Byakugan that I spoke of is what makes the Hyuuga one of the most dangerous opponents when it comes to taijutsu. Their eyes can see the chakra system inside a person, which makes it easier for them to strike it with deadly precision, to either shut down someone's chakra or even destroy their internal organs. No matter how strong a person is, they can't train their internal organs. Despite its name, the Juuken is anything but gentle on the receiving end."

"That really sounds harsh. Isn't there a way to defeat them?"

"Well, there are a few ways to fight a Hyuuga and their bloodline, but the best advice I can give you is this: if you're fighting a Byakugan user, keep outside their range, don't try to parry or block their strikes, just dodge them, and try to attack from a distance whenever you have a chance. While not perfect, this kind of tactic is better than blindly charging in and getting yourself beaten." Iruka finally finished his single bowl of ramen and noticed that Naruto has almost finished his fifth. "So, what are you planning to do for the rest of the day, Naruto?"

Slurping down the last of his noodles, the blond turned to his former sensei with a wide grin on his face. "I'm going to train! And if I find Hinata, then maybe she'll help me in figuring out my dreams and what they have to do with my bloodline!" Naruto placed some money for his meal on the counter before turning to leave the small restaurant. "Thanks for the tips, Iruka-sensei! Later!" the blond shouted as he quickly bolted out of the restaurant.

"I must say, Iruka-san, I never thought you'd be playing matchmaker," Ayame suddenly commented once the blond was out their sight.

"I have no idea what you...All right, I'll admit that I was giving Naruto a little push," the scarred chuunin admitted. "I know how dense he is most of the time, and it'd take him years to finally see that Hinata has a crush on him, if he ever found out in the first place. I don't want to take the poor girl's chance of telling him her true feelings, but she's so shy that it's sometimes painful to watch. Even if nothing comes out of it, there's still a big chance of the two becoming very good friends, something they both truly need."

"Huh, so the village outcast is getting close to the Hyuuga princess?" A female voice suddenly sounded right behind Iruka, making chills run down his spine. "Well, if that isn't an interesting gossip, then I really don't know what is!" Before anyone could react, a woman walked inside the ramen shop. She had violet hair styled in a short, spiky, upward-fanned ponytail. Her clothes consisted of a tan overcoat with a purple inseam, which had a pocket on both sides, complete with a form-fitting mesh body suit that stretches from her neck down to her thighs, dark orange miniskirt, a forehead protector, and a small pendant that looks like a snake fang on a thick cord. Completing her overall appearance was a dango stick in her mouth, along with a predatory smirk on her lips that seemed to be directed towards Iruka for some reason.

"Mi-Mitarashi-san! Wha-What a coincidence!" To say that Umino Iruka was afraid of this woman was like saying that the Hokage Monument was only a mound in the earth...a huge understatement. "Wha-What are you doing here?"

"First of all, don't call me Mitarashi-san, you make me sound old! If anything, call me Anko-chan!" The now identified Mitarashi Anko sat herself in the seat right beside Iruka and wrapped her arm around his neck, bringing his head very close to her chest. "And second, I'm just on a quick break before joining some other Special Jounin in training ground fourteen. Before you ask, sometimes I like to have something other than dango. A rare occurrence, but it happens."

"Training ground fourteen?" Finally, the scarred chuunin freed himself from the constrictor-like hold, but couldn't help his curiosity about the current situation his fellow shinobi mentioned. "That's very close to the borders of the Forest of Death, am I right? Did something happen there?"

"Nothing major, just that a couple of those big tigers managed to find a weak spot in the fence and escaped. Thankfully we were able to find most of them and only two had to be put down. One's still on the loose, though, but we'll get it soon enough." The Special Jounin took the fresh bowl of red bean soup she ordered. "Sometimes those beasts get restless, especially if there is a long pause between the Chuunin Exams, and those won't be happening for a few more months. That one tiger is abnormally clever. It found the weakness in the fence and brought other tigers to break through, and now it's easily escaping our traps." Anko slurped down the rest of her soup, surprising the academy instructor with her ability to talk and eat at the same time. "Because we're forbidden to use lethal force against those monsters unless it's a special case, that cat is almost as bad as Tora the Terror. You might even think they were related."

"Please, don't even joke like that." Iruka grimaced. He was seriously frightened by the mental image of the accursed cat of the Fire Daimyo's wife being the same size as the previously-mentioned monstrous tiger. If anything, it would be a monster that could most likely beat the Kyuubi in terms of spreading fear and panic. His face must have showed these thoughts, because Anko was almost rolling in laughter by just looking at him.

"Anyway, I'll be going now. Duty calls! Bye, Iruka-kun!" Not even a second later, the extravagant woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke and leafs via the Shunshin no Jutsu. Her sudden departure surprised the teacher a little, but before Iruka could even think about doing the same, Ayame presented him a check that included not only his own meal, but Anko's as well.

"This really isn't my day..." The poor and soon-to-be-poorer chuunin wept as he took out his wallet with a very heavy heart, not even finding it in himself to get mad at the ninja that tricked him so cruelly.

* * *

"Orya!"

Naruto's scream sounded through the forest as he ran towards the tree before him, all the while Hinata observed her crush's chakra flow through her activated Byakugan. It's already been a few hours since lunch time, when the two Genin started their training session together. Initially, the blond asked the shy clan heiress to use her eyes while he was meditating, per Iruka's advice, but that didn't bring any results. All Hinata could see then was a bright aura surrounding the boy's body, one so thick and intense that it prevented her from finding his chakra system, not to mention any of his tenketsu. While not very proficient with her clan's prized bloodline, Hinata was fairly adept in it, enough to find at least the majority of the chakra points, and was utterly surprised that Naruto had such a defense against the main ability of the Byakugan.

Despite her disappointment at that revelation, Naruto was more than eager to discover his own bloodline limit through other means, and after a few minutes of brain-storming, Hinata shyly suggested some chakra control exercises, one of which the boy was currently learning, climbing trees using chakra to stick your feet to the bark. The Hyuuga already knew that exercise, having been taught during her clan's training, and mastering it by the time she was ten. It was a very basic technique known by practically every ninja alive, so there wasn't any concern about breaking some clan rules.

Naruto managed to climb over eleven feet off the ground before his control slipped and the boy had to descend to the ground. Sweat rolled down his forehead and neck, giving a clear sign that he was getting quite tired.

"N-Naruto-kun, m-maybe we should take a short b-break..." Hinata was probably as exhausted as the blond. It wasn't often that she had her Byakugan active for so long without any rest, and it showed by how heavy her breathing was at the moment. To cool herself off, she even took off her oversized jacket, something that was a rarity because of the blunette's shyness.

"Damn it! I thought I had it that time-ttebayo!" Frustrated by the lack of progress, Naruto walked to where Hinata sat herself on the grass. "Hey, how was my chakra that last time?"

"U-um, it-it was good, but with th-those last t-two steps, you started to p-pour more than ne-necessary." Hinata hated her stuttering and nervousness around the blond boy. Despite them training like this and having spent time together a couple of times, the girl still couldn't find a way to calm her heart around him. Every time they were together, the Hyuuga heiress felt faint most of the time, and she even passed out on a few occasions, something that was a real embarrassment for the young Kunoichi.

"Kuso!" Naruto cursed out loud. "This exercise is really hard for me! I just keep messing up!"

"I-It's alright, Naruto-kun. No-no one expects you to m-master it in a day. W-with time a-and practice, I-I'm sure you'll have it down." Hinata tried to calm the boy down a little, and thought of something that could help her in that task. She took out two bentos and a thermos with tea. "H-here, Naruto-kun, let's e-eat something for now."

Naruto wanted to protest, but just then his stomach growled loudly, making him cringe a little at the sound. "Yeah, we can always train afterwards." He took one bento and started with one of the onigiri (rice balls) that were inside, and before anyone noticed, Naruto was chewing his fourth already. "These are great! Where did you get them, Hinata? Whoever sells them must be really popular, they're fantastic!" At the blond's exclamation and praise, Hinata found herself very flustered, so much that she began choking on her own rice ball. Naruto quickly reacted and gave the poor girl some tea to help her swallow the bite. "You alright Hinata?"

"A-ano *cough* h-hai..." Talking was a little difficult for the Kunoichi, because her throat was hurting and she was still somewhat embarrassed by the things her crush said. Not wanting the little opportunity to pass by, she decided to tell the truth. "I-I didn't buy those onigiri. I m-made them."

"Ehhh? You made them?" Getting a confirming nod from the shy girl, Naruto was truly surprised. Until now, he was convinced that it was impossible to make anything really good in a normal kitchen, unless you're a chef like Teuchi Ichiraku. Hearing that one of his former classmates could prepare something so simple and make it so tasty was quite a surprise. He played a little with an idea... "Ne, Hinata? Can I ask you something?"

"Hai?"

"If I master this tree walking technique by the end of the next week...Will you make ramen for me?" There, he said it. Now the hyperactive Genin was waiting for Hinata's answer, though judging by the way her face grew redder and redder, there was a chance he wouldn't get any answer for a while. "Do we have a deal?" Naruto extended his hand to Hinata, hoping she'd agree to this little bet.

To tell the truth, at that exact moment, Hinata was completely speechless. While she was happy inside that Naruto acknowledged her a little and praised her cooking skills, the shy girl didn't really know what to think of this proposition. Of course she would agree to do it, but to make a bet like that? This kind of thing needed two sides. "A-and w-what i-if you c-can't do it?"

"Hmmm..." Naruto paused to think a little about an equal reward, seeing as that was the only way to keep things fair. "You certainly don't want to try my cooking, unless you like instant ramen. How about I get you your favorite food, Hinata? Is that all right? What is it, by the way?"

"A-ano..." Hinata's face grew hotter again, her normally pale cheeks reddening considerably. To calm her nerves a little she started playing with her fingers a little. "I r-really enjoy c-cinnamon buns..."

"Someone has a little sweet tooth, eh?" The mild teasing only made the young kunoichi's blush intensify. Not wanting his friend to faint yet again because of him, Naruto hurried up. "All right, if I don't get this exercise down perfectly by the end of next week, I'll buy you a dozen cinnamon buns from the best bakery in the village!"

"N-Naruto-kun! You-you don't have to go that far-!"

"HEEELP!"

Hinata's sentence was cut short by a desperate shout, one which source was very close to the place where the two Genin were training. To Naruto, this voice sounded very familiar, and he had very bad feelings about the situation, therefore he quickly got up and ran in the direction he was sure the shout came. Hinata, of course, was right behind him, not wanting to leave the blond's side in case something dangerous was going on, and she was spot on. The two Genin arrived in a small meadow in the middle of the forest. There, backed up to a tree was a small boy, no older than nine, maybe ten, wearing a very long scarf around his neck and a pair of goggles on his forehead. A monstrous tiger, much bigger than a normal tiger should be, looked like it was about to pounce on the boy, until a kunai struck the ground beside its paw.

"Hey furball! Pick on someone your own size!" Naruto shouted, making the tiger focus on him while Hinata stealthily got to Konohamaru. They would've gotten away if the beast didn't renew its interest in the first prey and the new morsel beside the small boy. "Oh, no you don't! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Eight identical blonds rushed towards the massive tiger, trying to bring it down, but the ferocious beast was too strong. With one swing of its oversized paw, all clones, along with the original Naruto, were thrown away, and while the copies just exploded in clouds of smoke, the boy hit a tree with his back so hard it knocked most of the wind out of him, making him almost lose conscious. The tiger leaned over the fallen preteen, ready for the strike that would have guaranteed it a meal of fresh meat if it wasn't for the boy's female companion, who struck the beast's side with her last three kunai. Roaring in pain and rage, the tiger turned towards the small girl, who defiantly stood between it and the younger boy.

"I won't let you hurt them!" Hinata exclaimed with a sudden surge of courage. Despite her meek nature and overwhelming shyness, the sight of Naruto being thrown around like a ragdoll, the quiet sobs of the Sandaime Hokage's grandson behind her, the intensity of the situation, all those factors caused something to snap inside the Hyuuga. She found the strength to overcome her own fear, the adrenaline rush and harsh training from her family also helped, though now Hinata wasn't sure what to do next. The tiger was now focused on her, ready to attack in the blink of an eye. All she could do now was protect the younger boy the best she could, even if it would cost her life.

That never happened. To Hinata's and Konohamaru's utter surprise, the vicious animal was suddenly blasted of the ground and sent flying several yards away by a strong explosion. From the cloud of smoke and dust emerged Naruto, breathing heavily and holding his side. He looked over to Hinata and the Konohamaru, shooting them a big grin despite the pain he felt in his chest and side.

"You guys alright?" Just as the question left the boy's mouth, another roar made them aware that the tiger was still alive, burned, hurt, and mad from the pain that Naruto dared to inflict upon it. 'Damn, that was a direct hit with an explosive tag! How the hell is that oversized cat still standing?!' The blond's thoughts came to halt when the furious beast blindly rushed towards where Hinata and Konohamaru stood, most likely because the shock from the explosion and pain messed with the tiger's senses and it couldn't think straight at the moment. 'I don't have any more tags on me, and my chakra is low from training earlier!'

_What do you desire?_

'Strength. I want to, no! I need to be stronger!' Naruto didn't have time to wonder what this voice inside his head was, or why was he answering its question. What he did know was that the tiger was getting closer and closer to two of his friends. With all the energy left inside his body, the blond ignored the pain as he stood before Hinata and Konohamaru, his back turned to them, facing the dangerous beast.

_Why do you desire it?_

Looking back for a brief moment, Naruto saw how scared the small boy was, judging by how tightly he held Hinata, while the shy girl looked both afraid of the threat and worried. Once more, Naruto smiled a bright grin, and then focused his whole attention on the rampaging tiger. His answer to the last question was clear as a day.

"To protect them."

After uttering those words, something inside the blond exploded, and his body was flooded with an unknown power that soothed his pains, repaired the majority of his wounds and replenished some of his strength. No longer did he feel the strong, stabbing pain in his chest, nor did his limbs feel like they were made of lead anymore. Instead, he felt strong and instinctively knew what to do next. As the beast approached them, Naruto thrust both of his arms forward.

_Let your emotions guide you, and fight!_

"YAAAAAAAAHHHH!" When the monstrous animal leaped at the blond, Naruto's yell released a massive wave of chakra from his palms, making the tiger slam onto a barrier merely two feet from the boy. Before it could shake it off, Naruto took advantage of the temporary confusion and jumped towards the beast. His arms shined for a moment and once the light faded, the blond had two metal gauntlets on his forearms that ended on his fists with something that resembled metal fingerless gloves. More amazing than that, though, was the speed with which Naruto finally got above the massive tiger and struck it.

"GOODNIGHT, YOU BASTARD!" Naruto's metal-clad fist fell upon the animal's oversized head with the force of thunder. In an instant, the beast fell unconscious, while Naruto stood over the fallen body, breathing heavily. He heard Hinata calling him, along with Konohamaru, but for the moment Naruto didn't want to move an inch from that spot.

Naruto thought about the things he'd done today, like learning a new ninja skill from Hinata, eating delicious food made by her, and finally, fighting a monstrous tiger, and awakening his bloodline ability, apparently. What a day...

* * *

**AN: The ending seems a little rushed, especially the battle scene, but I couldn't find a better way to express some of the key parts of this chapter.**

**Also, as you may have noticed, I had several ideas for new stories, and two of them were started not so long ago: "Chronicles of the Western Empire" and "Angel's Love & Demon's Heart". Those two will now be on temporary hiatus, as I want to update my older fics, though I may put one chapter for either of them in between the older updates. Don't worry, I have some good ideas that should make it easy enough, though I'm in the middle of some exams, so please understand that I may not have too much time for writing.**

**There was also the thing about Naruto's bloodline - I had so many ideas that I didn't know which one to choose. I finally made my decision, but the details will be revealed in the next chapter. All I can say now is that Naruto's new abilities will be similar to those of Green Lantern, though not so overwhelming, more about creating weapons and armors from chakra, with addition of a few more perks. Hope you like my idea!**

**Lastly, to explain my very late updates, the main reasons were exams that I had until half of June, and currently there are some repairs going in my home and I have to help out, not to mention that I'm currently also looking for work. All those elemnets together are making it difficult to focus on writing stories, which is only a hobby to me. I hope you understand.**

**Stay tuned! Please R&R!**


End file.
